


Late Night Talks With The Radio Demon

by grass_tastes_bad_69



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Alastor is Bad at Feelings (Hazbin Hotel), Alastor on asexual spectrum, Angel Dust Being Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hurt Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Hurt/Comfort, M/M, No Smut, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Child Abuse, Protective Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Slow Burn, Soft Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Soft Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Valentino Being a Jerk (Hazbin Hotel)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:02:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 52,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24111754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grass_tastes_bad_69/pseuds/grass_tastes_bad_69
Summary: To ensure that Angel Dust makes it back before curfew, Charlie assigns one of the staff members to stay up and wait for the other to return to the hotel every night.Usually it rotates between Charlie, Husk, and sometimes even Vaggie.Although, when Alastor permanently takes up this position, will a new and unexpected relationship bloom?
Relationships: Alastor & Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Alastor/Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Angel Dust/Valentino (Hazbin Hotel), Charlie Magne/Vaggie, Husk/Niffty (Hazbin Hotel)
Comments: 82
Kudos: 631





	1. Ch 1. Mysteries Always Need To Be Solved

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Before we get into this- I just want to let everyone know that the tags will be updated as the story goes on, so please keep an eye on them because I will warn everyone if there's any triggering topics using the tags. And please read the beginning notes too, because sometimes there will be one triggering scene in a chapter that is too minor to make a tag about, but it's still there, so I will provide a warning in the notes at the start.
> 
> Also- this will be song fic! The musical segments won't be terribly long, and there will be one musical segment per chapter. The song title and artist can be found at the notes at the bottom always. 
> 
> Another slight warning for this chapter- there's a very minor and non descriptive scene that mentions vomit. Please read at your own risk

Angel’s body was sore and bruised, and since he no longer was able to use drugs to lessen the effects of a long day of filming, it was really just that much worse for the spider. 

He walked into the large hotel, and softly closed the door behind him. Although, when he turned around to see who was in the kitchen cooking and humming, it would be an understatement to say he was shocked. 

To ensure that Angel Dust made it home by curfew every night, which was twelve thirty on the dot, (Vaggie made that very clear) someone would stay up to make sure he was on time. Usually it was Husk, although sometimes it would be Charlie, or even Vaggie. 

But, to his surprise, this time it was the infamous radio demon. Angel hadn’t seen the deer since he had denied his services, and he had thought that would be the end of it. Angel was okay with that, since he immediately could tell Alastor wasn’t into that sorta sexual stuff. 

He really had no idea why the deer would ever want to spend any more time with the prostitute, but he wasn’t going to question it. He was tired, and he didn’t have the energy to question everything. 

“Hey Al, I‘m here, right before curfew too. So, if ya would be a doll and sign me back in, that would be fantastic.” 

Alastor looked up from the stove at the spider,”Oh! Angel- I didn’t hear you come in! And yes, I shall sign you in to let Charlotte know you made it back on time.” 

Angel nodded, although as he was turning around to go towards the stairs, Alastor called out for him,”Angel! Are you hungry? I’m preparing a meatloaf.” 

“It’s okay Al- it's yer food, ya have it.” 

“I insist! I made too much for one demon anyways.” 

Angel shrugged,”Alright- just as long as there ain’t any other demons in there.” 

“Of course not, demon wouldn’t taste good in meatloaf anyways. Ha! Can you just imagine? It would be positively preposterous!” 

Angel couldn’t help but chuckle at Alastor’s statement as he took a seat at the spinning chairs that surrounded the kitchen island. 

Alastor put on his oven mit, and carefully extracted the steaming pan out of the oven. The delicious smell wafted throughout the entire kitchen. 

“Be careful Angel dear- it's rather hot,” Alastor warned as he put a slice on two plates and slid one over towards the other. 

“Thanks,” Angel said as he began to blow on the dish. 

Alastor’s smile widened as he watched the spider blow on the dish over and over, making a ridiculous face while doing so. It was quite a sight. 

After a moment, Angel noticed Alastor had been staring,”What is it Al? Do I got a rash on my face or something?” 

“Oh no- it's nothing darling.” 

Angel decided to just not bring it up and grabbed the ketchup bottle in the middle of the island. He squirted a large hill of it on the meatloaf, and then began to spread it with his fork. 

Alastor couldn’t help but wince,”My- you are putting quite a lot of that foul tomato smoothie on your slice. How could you ever enjoy such a disgusting topping?” 

Angel scoffed,”What are ya calling ‘disgusting’? I’ll have ya know, tomatoes are a respected vegetable in my family.” 

“I’m sure it is- considering a tomato isn’t even a vegetable.” 

“Don’t even get me started on that argument ya strawberry pimp,” Angel quipped. 

“Please refrain from calling me that.” 

Angel laughed as he took a bite of his meal,”Woah- Al, I didn’t think ya could make anything better than yer jambalaya, but I was wrong. This is delicious!” 

“Why thank you! Although I’m sure it would taste much better if it wasn’t drowned in that disgusting condiment.” 

Angel playfully rolled his eyes as he continued to eat. 

While Alastor watched the spider eat, he couldn’t help but think about something that has been bugging him for a while... 

Perhaps this would be the perfect opportunity to finally get answers. 

“You know, Angel, there’s been something on my mind for a bit, and I can’t quite seem to get it out of my head.” 

“What is it?” 

“Why do you put up with Valentino? At first I was under the impression you enjoy working for him, although, you work late and come back exhausted, you have to put up with some of the most unfavorable demons ever, and to top it all off- you rarely ever seem to get any recognition for all of the effort you put in. I simply can’t wrap my head around the idea that you like being treated the way you are.” 

Angel stayed silent for a moment, as he looked down at his plate. 

After taking a large breath, he finally answered,”Ya really don’t beat around the bush, huh? Well, yer right. I wouldn’t put up with the shit he puts me through, but I don’t really have much of a choice. Val owns my contract. In this contract, I basically gave him my soul, in exchange for getting a job, safety from exterminations, and other luxuries. But, if I ever become too much work than what I’m worth- he could make me disappear like that,” Angel said with a snap,”Since I’m his biggest cash cow though, I really would have to fuck up majorly for him to want me double dead.” 

Alastor felt like such a fool for not ever considering that option. Although he rarely ever bothered with owning souls, they really weren’t very useful for Alastor’s line of work since he preferred working alone, he wasn’t foreign to the idea. 

After all, he sorta owned Nifty and Husk. But not exactly in the way where we could off them whenever he chooses. When he made deals, he usually just asked for a favor in return that they would have to complete- not their souls. 

Of course the Angel he knew, would never put up with such disrespect. But, in desire of self-perseveration, he had to. 

Angel cleared his throat after a moment of silence,”But it really don’t bother me that much anymore- it is what is it. Anyways, thanks for the food, it was really good.” 

Angel left the kitchen in a rush, barely giving the radio demon a chance to respond. Alastor couldn’t help but be annoyed to see the spider go. He found himself with this new desire to continue talking with the other, and he was rather confused by this strange and sudden new urge. 

When he first met Angel, he was sure he was nothing more than just an intercourse crazed prostitute. Alastor had wanted to keep his distance away from him, since he had absolutely no desire for such actions. 

But, it seems as if he was wrong. There might be more to the other than he previously thought...This was a mystery, and mysteries always needed to be solved. He came to the hotel for entertainment, and it seems like he found it. 

\- 

“Firstly, I’d just like to thank you all for attending this staff meeting! I really didn’t think you’d all show up, it really shows me that you all care for the future of the Happy Hotel!” Charlie exclaimed excitedly. 

Vaggie eyed the others, warning them not to tell Charlie that Vaggie had told them if they didn’t come- then she would rip their eyes out. 

“Anyways, Vaggie and I have come up with an idea that will help convince more demons to show up! The happy hotel will host a ball! That way demons can visit the hotel, without making any commitments, and see what we do here!” 

“That sounds like an excellent idea Charlotte. If there’s anything you need us to do, we’ll be happy to help,” Alastor said. 

“Well, there actually is some things each of you could do...” Charlie pulled out a sheet of paper from her pocket,”I made a list of everyone’s jobs!!” 

Everyone eyed the paper, it was covered in glitter, stickers, and even some overly cheerful doodles of everyone. 

“Okay, so Alastor can make the food, I mean- I know we won’t be holding it for a week or two, but it’s always good to be prepared! As for you Niffty, you can tidy up the ballroom a bit. Since it hasn’t been used in decades it’s a bit...well, dusty.” 

Vaggie lightly scoffed, knowing fully well that the ballroom was a complete disaster. 

“Angel and Husk- you two can hand out these fliers I handmade!!” Charlie thrusted two stacks of colorful papers into Angel and Husk’s hands. 

“Meanwhile, Vaggie and I will get decorations for the ballroom! So, what do you guys think?” 

All of the demons looked at each other, despite Alastor offering their services to the princess, they didn’t expect her to actually take them up on it. Although they all knew if they denied, Vaggie would most likely try and kill them... 

“Sounds good, toots,” Angel piped up before anyone could say anything. 

\- 

“My feet are KILLIN’ me, how many more do we have to hand out?” Angel groaned. 

“Your feet would probably be more comfortable if you weren’t wearing high heel boots,” Husk grumbled as he took another swig of his bottle. 

“Oh please, my shoes are fabulous!” 

“And impractical.” 

“You’re just jealous.” 

Husk chuckled,”Yeah, yeah, su-” 

Before Husk could finish his sentence, he felt a wave of nausea overcome him. Despite building a high tolerance for alcohol over the years, sometimes he still couldn’t help but get sick. 

Husk went towards the nearest trash can and started to vomit viciously. 

Suddenly, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. It wasn’t invasive or rough- it was soft, and comforting. Like a mother’s touch even. 

Husk wiped away the excess vomit off the corners of his mouth and glanced up at the spider. 

“Let’s get home before my feet fall off- I'm sure Chacha won’t mind if we don’t hand all these fliers out,” Angel quietly said. 

The corners of Husk’s mouth slightly upturned. For a second, he considered that maybe the spider wasn’t as bad as he initially thought... 

Nah. 

\- 

Angel walked in the kitchen to grab a snack, although he was caught by surprise to see the radio demon was still cooking. What was even more surprising for the spider was that he had hung his red blazer on a nearby coat hook, and the sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up just above his elbows. 

The spider had never seen the radio demon looking so carefree and relaxed before. His large smile was still present, but had softened around the edges, and it seemed much more genuine. Under his breath, Angel could faintly hear the deer humming something. 

Angel felt a bit awkward just staring at the other, so he spoke up,”Heya Al, ya still cooking?” 

Alastor slightly jumped a little in surprise at the sound of Angel’s voice,”Oh- uh, hello Angel. Yes, yes I still am. Art takes time, after all.” 

The room fell silent, neither really knew what to say. It felt so weird to transition back to small talk after the conversation they had last night. 

“Angel, would you be a dear and chop up some of the vegetables over there on the cutting board? Two heads are better than one, after all.” 

“Aw, Al, if you wanted to hang out with me, ya didn’t have ta make up a lame excuse! Ya could’ve just asked!” Angel teased as he slipped off the gloves on his first set of hands and placed them on the counter. 

“Ha! That idea is so hilarious and nonsensical, you truly are a comedian Angel. I simply just want to finish this task so that way I can focus on more important things.” 

“Yeah, sure Al,” Angel gave a sly wink at the other, but he turned around and faced the cutting board. 

Angel began to cut the carrots into large chunks slowly and carefully. 

“Oh no! Just a medium chunk would do. Don’t need it so big that they’ll choke!” 

“That’s what she said,” Angel quipped. 

Alastor shot Angel a glare,”You are into such childish things Angel.” 

Angel laughed as he continued to carefully slice the vegetables. 

The two didn’t say anything for a moment as they quietly kept working. Although despite them both being silent, Angel didn’t feel alone. He could hear the deer’s quiet hums and the soft static, and those sounds seem to give him a bit of comfort. Angel couldn’t quite explain why... 

“Angel- may I ask you a question?” 

“Ya just did.” 

Alastor slightly chuckled,”You see? Now that’s a good attempt at comedy.” 

“Of course ya would find cheesy shit like that funny. Anyways, what do ya want ta know?” 

“I am, well...a bit curious. How does one find themselves in the adult industry?” 

Angel shrugged,”It’s not like I wanted ta grow up ta be a whore.” 

Alastor was now curious,”What is it you wanted to be?” 

The deer found himself unusually invested in Angel’s story. Ever since last night, Angel was a mystery. The radio demon wanted to find out what his motives were, what made the spider tick, if you will. 

The spider went quiet for a few moments, before finally answering,”I feel like every little boy dreams of being something when he grows up. Some little boys dream about being lawyers, some dream about being daddies, and I dreamt about being a singer.” 

“It’s silly...I know,” Angel softly shook his head. 

“It’s not silly. Not silly at all. Did you ever achieve it?” 

The spider tenderly laughed,”It ain’t that simple Al.” 

“Why not?” 

“ _Thirty million people want a shot_ ,” Angel sung softly, his voice barely audible. 

“ _How much would it take for you to spread those legs apart?_ ” 

Alastor listened to the spider's angelic voice, he was mesmerized in a way. 

Angel spun around and hurriedly grabbed Alastor’s red blazer off the coat hanger and draped it over his shoulders. The spider quickly unwrapped a cherry sucker and stuck it in his mouth. 

_“_ **_Oh_ ** **_I’m the gatekeeper, spread your legs, open up_ **,” Angel sung this with a much more rough and harsh tone, indicating he was intimating someone else. (Which would also explain the sudden change in appearance he had tried to pull off.) 

“ **_You could be famous! Wait_ ** **_til_ ** **_five years down the road and you’re failing-_ **” the spider pointed his finger at Alastor, Angel seemed almost unrecognizable. 

Angel always carried himself with this lighthearted aura around himself, but now he seemed much angrier. His movements were more rigid, and despite already being taller than Alastor, he now stood with his back straight, making him seem taller by a considerable amount. He also had this look in his eye that the radio demon couldn’t quite comprehend... If Alastor was a mortal, he might’ve even had been scared by this act. 

“ **_Keep fucking these regular dudes that are nameless! Don’t you know? Don’t you know?_ **” 

“ **_That we are the gatekeepers, spread your legs, open up. You could be famous!_ **” With each sentence Angel took a step towards Alastor as he towered over him. 

The deer could tell Angel was taking this from experience. Alastor could only imagine how mortal Angel must’ve felt when someone approached him like this. Promising to make all his wishes come true, just as long as he did something for them first... 

The thought made him feel sick how some people could take advantage of someone like that...especially when there was such a clear power in balance. 

That’s why Alastor refused to stalk his victims beforehand. It gave him an unfair advantage, and he always found that to be immoral. Because, yes, even the radio demon had standards. 

“ **_Boy on your knees!_ ** ” Angel pointed at the floor,” **_Don’t_ ** **_you know what your place is?_ **” 

Angel was now inched away from the other, Alastor could feel his warm breath against his face. For some reason he didn’t want to push the spider away like most times when someone got too close for his liking. He was actually rather intrigued. 

“ **_Got gold on my dick, boy, don’t you_ ** **_wanna_ ** **_taste it?_ **” Angel whispered into Alastor’s ear. 

Alastor felt this weird feeling on his face, almost as if someone had burned him with a flat iron or something. 

Angel suddenly took a few steps back, his pervious persona already coming back. 

Alastor gulped, trying to shallow the weird sensations he was feeling,”That was quite a performance Angel.” 

Angel shrugged, as if he hadn’t just done his own musical performance. Alastor wouldn’t admit it, but he was rather impressed. Not only with his voice, but the way he was able to sound and feel like two totally different people so effortlessly. 

“I did what they wanted- cause who the hell wouldn’t? I was young and dumb. After all, they did have the power and influence to make my silly dreams come true.” 

“Anyways...next thing I know, I’m less of a singer and more of a pole dancer. By the time I died and winded up in Hell, I realized no one really cared about my singing. I was only good for one thing- so I embraced it. And then, Angel Dust the porn star and prostitute was born!” 

Angel spoke with a toothy grin, but Alastor could feel disappointment and sadness in his eyes. 

Before Alastor could mention anything else, Angel said,”Anyways Al, you’ve already asked me some heavy shit. I think it’s only fair I get ta ask ya something.” 

“I guess you’re right. Ask away dear!” Alastor said as he turned around and faced the pot of the soup on top of the stove, he knew he wouldn’t get any more information out of Angel tonight. 

“What's with ya and the whole touch thing? I’ve noticed ya barely let anyone ever touch ya. Not even Husk or Nifty.” 

Alastor thought about the question for a moment, he didn’t exactly know how to put his feelings into words. 

“I’ve never been one for touch. I’ve only ever let two people put their hands on me, and one of them was my mama. I...can’t really explain it. I guess I just don’t feel comfortable with it, unless I trust and know someone completely...it sounds silly, I know. The big bad radio demon can’t handle a hug.” 

“It’s not silly. If it don’t make ya comfortable, then there’s no need to explain it. If ya don’t like it, then that’s that, end of story.” 

Alastor hadn’t ever really opened with anyone about these thoughts. He’s always had them, even when he was a human. It felt...oddly nice to talk about it. 

“The same thing goes with sexual intimacy too. I’ve only ever tried it once...but only because I had known her for a very long time. I guess it just didn’t make me feel so uncomfortable then...” 

“Ya know, maybe ya should talk to Vags about that. She’s from 2014, so she probably has a word for it. It’s pretty cool actually how much stuff they have words for.” 

Alastor thought about it. Is it possible that others have felt the same way he has? He’s never liked discussing things that happened after he died, but just the thought of that made him feel a sense of excitement. Perhaps he would talk to Vagatha later... 

The two continued to work in complete silence, yet for some reason they both found comfort just in the other’s presence. 

\- 

“Charlotte, I have something I need to tell you.” 

“What is it Alastor?” Charlie asked. 

“I am offering to permanently make sure Angel returns to the hotel before curfew. After all, you already do so much for Angel’s redemption, I think it’s only fitting that I step up and do more.” 

“Wait- really? That’s so sweet of you! I can’t believe it- I mean, I know you don’t believe in the whole redemption thing, but it’s so awesome of you to make an effort. That’s-” Alastor began to zone out for a few moments while the princess rambled on. 

His thoughts drifted towards Angel’s voice... Something he found himself doing all day. He simply couldn’t get it out of his head. 

A part of him did wish he could hear it once more... Of course, he promptly shut down that part of him. The radio demon did not allow himself to think such weak thoughts. No, no, no. 

“-Although, I’m a bit curious, why?” 

“Huh?” Alastor snapped back to reality. 

“Why are you volunteering? It just...it doesn’t seem like something you would do. I don’t mean that in a bad way of course!” 

Alastor thought for a moment. Why? 

_‘You want to see him again in a more private setting. You enjoy his company.’_

Alastor ignored that traitorous thought. 

“Well, I’m simply just curious to see how long he’ll follow the curfew rules after all. No doubt he’ll break them soon! And I certainly want to be there to see it. Oh, can you just imagine the entertainment?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song used in this chapter: Gatekeeper- Jessie Reyez
> 
> If you have any constructive criticism, I'd love to hear it <3


	2. Ch 2. More Human Than Previously Thought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alastor does Angel a favor, while some pesky questions about his true motives plague his mind... Angel's loyalty is also questioned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: mentions of abusive relationship in this chap  
> I also struggled a little bit with this chap as I tried to stay in character, so I'm sorry if they're all a bit off.

When Angel returned home from work, he was fairly surprised- again. 

“Oh, hello Angel dear!” the deer greeted. 

“Al? I didn’t know ya were on curfew duty again. It’s rarely ever the same person twice in a row.” 

“Why yes- that's something I have been meaning to speak with you about. I told Charolette that I am willing to permanently full fill the role of what you call ‘curfew duty’.” 

“Awww, I see someone really wanted ta spend time with me,” Angel teased. 

“That’s the most unbelievable thing I’ve ever heard! I simply just wanted to ensure you were eating properly. After all, you are getting rather skinny dear. You’re practically a twig!” 

The spider shrugged,”Val keeps me on a strict diet, he got on my case when I told him I ate yer meatloaf the other night.” 

“I won’t tell if you won’t,” Alastor said as he mimicked a key sliding over his mouth. 

A small smile crept onto Angel’s face,”Well- why not? What ya cooking tonight Al?” 

“Pineapple pizza!” 

Angel made an exaggerated hurling motion,”I would rather go to double Hell than ever take a bite out of pineapple pizza.” 

“I figured you might say as such, so I made sure to leave a few slices plain just for you.” 

“Vaggie was right- ya must be a psycho if ya like pineapple on pizza.” 

Alastor let a small chuckle escape his lips,”I have no idea what you’re even talking about! Pineapple pizza is a perfectly fine dish! I think it might be you who is the psycho.” 

“Let’s agree to disagree, bambi.” 

“Don’t call me that.” 

The spider laughed, Alastor’s eyes softened. He really liked hearing the spider’s laugh for some reason... 

“So- are you excited for Charolette’s ball?” Alastor changed the subject, wanting to quickly get that pesky thought out of his head. 

Angel nervously scratched the back of his neck,”Well...not really.” 

“How come?” 

The spider looked down at his lap,”It’s embarrassing.” 

“Angel dear, compared to the first words we shared- I am certain it isn’t as embarrassing as you think.” 

Angel sighed,”Fine, fine- I...can’t dance. At least not the way Chacha is expecting.” 

“Is...Is that it?” Alastor asked. 

“What do ya mean ‘is that it’?!” 

“It just seems so minor, really- there's nothing for you to be embarrassed about. Many people don’t know how to dance in ways suitable to a ball.” 

Angel hid his head in his hands as he groaned softly,”Ya don’t get it...I’m gonna look like such a fucking fool at the ball, and I’ll just embarrass Charlie! She’ll be so disappointed with me...” 

“If you’re really that concerned about it, I can teach you how to waltz. It’s pretty simple once you get the hang of it. Although I’m sure Charlie wouldn’t be upset at you over something like dancing.” 

The other looked up at the deer,”It’s fine Al, I’d hate ta waste yer time. Ya probably got some important overlord shit ta do.” 

“Nonsense. I want to help.” 

“Why? I mean...I’m grateful and all, but yer not exactly known for yer caring and helping attitude. There ain’t some catch or anything? Do I gotta do ya a favor afterwards?” 

Angel’s face started to turn red in embarrassment the moment he let the last sentence leave his mouth,”I didn’t mean that last part in a sexual way, I- I just meant to ask if ya are tryna get me ta make a deal with ya.” 

Alastor’s smile softened at the other’s flustered face for a spilt second, before he quickly regained his composure,”No, no, of course not. No deals. No contracts. No strings attached. You won’t have to do anything in return.” 

“Then how come yer doing this for me?” 

The radio demon went silent for a moment as he pondered over the spider’s simple question. Why was he doing this? There was nothing he could gain from this situation, so why did he even offer in the first place? 

He quieted these confusing thoughts, they didn’t mean anything, there was a perfectly good reason for what he was doing,”Well it’s simply because I want to make sure Charolette’s ball is a success! The more patrons, the more entertainment!” 

\- 

Angel stood outside the large gym doors. Surprisingly, the hotel had a very nice gym. Not many people used it, but Charlie insisted on having it. 

All last night he had been wondering whether or not he had hallucinated that whole ordeal, but he knew that couldn’t be true. He hadn’t done any PCP in weeks! 

Yet the other explanation didn’t make much sense to him either. Why would Alastor ever do something even remotely helpful for him? 

Angel decided to just bite the bullet and walked through the gym doors. 

“Oh, Angel dear, you arrived! I was starting to worry you weren’t going to show, haha!” Alastor greeted the other cheerfully. 

“Of course I showed, I need ta learn how ta waltz or else I’m gonna look like a clutz.” 

“Well, you’re in luck my effeminate fellow! You have me, after all. Now- shall we begin?” 

”Only if ya think ya can handle me,” Angel gave a sly wink. 

“Oh please dear, I’m sure you’re the one who needs to be worrying.” 

“The waltz is a simple dance that utilizes ‘the box step.’ The box step is a series of movements that form the shape of a box,” Alastor instructed. 

“I think it will be easier if I lead, considering that I’m more experienced-” 

”Are ya sure ya just don’t want me ta be your submissive?” 

Alastor gulped before promptly answering, he knew there was some sort of sexual meaning behind those words just by the way Angel had said it,”Ha! No. Anyways, let us just move on from that.” 

Angel couldn’t help but smile slightly, sometimes it was really fun to push the deer’s buttons a little. 

“Before we try and do the waltz together- you should learn the follow’s steps. Firstly, you want to start out with your feet shoulder length apart and facing towards me.” 

Angel quickly adjusted his position,”Is that all? This is actually pretty easy!” 

Alastor’s smile widened,”Oh dear- that is only the starting position.” 

The next twenty minutes, the two went through the steps. Although Angel stumbled a few times, he actually picked it up pretty quickly with little help. 

Alastor found it rather impressive how easily Angel was able to learn the steps, almost as if he was a natural. What other secret skills did the spider have? 

“Okay- okay, I think I got it. I think I’m ready to try it with a partner,” Angel said excitedly, like a small child on Christmas day. 

The overlord wouldn’t ever admit this to himself- but he found it rather cute. 

“It seems that you are. Well, let's try it out, shall we?” Alastor placed his left hand on Angel’s left shoulder blade,”Now- you place your top left hand on my shoulder.” 

Angel looked at Alastor for permission, and the other gave a quick nod. The spider did as he was told. 

Although, it felt almost as if the other’s hand was hovering, instead of actually resting on the deer’s shoulder. The radio demon appreciated the other’s thoughtfulness about his touch aversion. 

Alastor wrapped his left hand on Angel’s top right hand and raised his elbow. 

“Make sure your elbow is at shoulder height. Also, dear- relax. Touching is a natural part of the waltz, I am prepared,” the deer advised. 

The fluffy demon nodded, and he followed the other’s advice as he loosened up. 

”Are you ready my dear?” 

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” 

They started out roughly, but as they went on the two gracefully glided through the steps almost effortlessly. 

Angel’s hand felt warm and soft, and from this close up Alastor could tell that Angel smelled like strawberries and whipped cream. Alastor didn’t even seem to mind the other being this close or his touch. It was...soothing in a way. 

There was something different about Angel’s touch...something he couldn’t quite place his finger on. Could it even be fair to say that Alastor _liked_ it? 

He ignored that complete and utter idiotic thought. Of course he didn’t like something as simple as Angel’s touch. He had never liked others touching him before- it always made him uncomfortable and tense, but he didn’t have that same feeling right now... What was different? Had Angel casted a spell on him or something? No, no, no...that couldn’t be the answer, he was sure that he couldn’t do magic. 

Suddenly, a loud ringing noise started to come from Angel’s pocket. The other quickly exited their waltzing position and answered the phone. 

In that moment, Alastor despised current technology more than he ever has. And that’s saying something. 

More than anything he wanted to feel Angel’s hand in his own again, it was a bizarre wish- but yet that didn’t stop him from craving it. How could someone as powerful as himself want something so...so human? Something that was so...unlike him? Was Alastor more human than he had previously thought? He was sure he had rid himself of all of his weak human desires early on- so why were they coming back now?

Alastor was brought out of his thoughts as Angel hung up the phone and shoved it back in his pocket. 

“Val wants me ta come in early, so sadly I gotta cut this short. I had a really great time today Al, thanks for helping me.” 

“Oh, uh- yes, of course. I’ll see you tonight, before curfew I hope.” 

“See ya then smiles,” Angel said as he walked out of the gym, giving a small wave before he left. 

For a moment Alastor didn’t move as he pondered over what had just happened. He looked down fondly at the hand that had held Angel’s just moments before. 

With a snap of his fingers, he teleported himself back into his hotel room as he paced his floors. He needed answers. 

The radio demon didn’t understand a single thing about these sudden and new...urges. What could they mean? How come the spider suddenly had these new effects on him? 

Why did he want to see the other again? Why did he offer to teach him how to waltz? Why did he want to hold the spider’s hand again so badly? 

Was is because he just wanted to see the other fail firsthand? Although the thought of seeing the other upset and relapsing made his stomach churn. 

Angel had gotten much more tolerable once he got off drugs. Well, maybe tolerable was an understatement... 

So, why? He couldn’t use him for anything, since the spider didn’t seem to have anything he needed. He didn’t want to watch him fail. He didn’t even want to hurt the spider! 

Alastor sighed at all these new questions that he didn’t have any answers for,” _Look_ _at me_.” 

He took a few steps towards his mirror, and gazed at his reflection,” _I’m_ _as helpless as a kitten up a tree_.” 

“ _And I feel like I’m clinging to a cloud.”_

The overlord turned around and flopped onto his bed face first,” _I_ _can’t understand.”_

Alastor rolled over on his back, and held his hand up,” _I_ _get misty just holding your hand.”_

His shadow grabbed onto his master’s arm and pulled him up from his position on his bed, trying to cheer him up. Yet his master still stared at his hand that had once previously held the spider’s. 

The shadow got an idea. It warped into a silhouette of the spider and grabbed onto Alastor and began to waltz with him, just as it had seen Angel do with its master. Alastor went along as he fondly remembered his time with the spider just minutes ago... 

He had never felt so in sync with a dance partner until he danced with Angel... 

“ _Walk my way, and a thousand violins begin to play.”_

_“Or it might be the sound of your hello.”_

Suddenly, the overlord snapped out of it as he realized what he had been doing. He quickly got out of his shadow’s grasp and shooed it away. He always liked to be in control of every situation- and yet, here he was. Without any control, and dancing with his shadow. What would all the other overlords think if they saw him now? 

The shadow could tell it hadn’t helped- so it went back to its original form and exited the room with its head down like a sad little puppy. 

Alastor sighed as he took a seat on the edge of his bed. He looked back at his hand once more. 

“ _That music I hear.”_

_“I get misty, the moment you’re near.”_

\- 

Angel fixed his smudged mascara carefully as he peered into his vanity mirror. The last shoot was a bit...hectic, and the spider needed a few moments to himself. 

Suddenly, he heard the door open, and the spider perked up instantly. 

“Angie baby, how’s my favorite star doing~” Valentino purred as he took a seat on the red loveseat and patted the spot next to him. 

Angel quickly sat next to the bug and snuggled up next to him. 

“I’m doing great daddy~” 

“Good, good...I’ve been watching some of your recent performances, and you seem a bit...distracted,” The pimp’s grip tightened on the other’s shoulder. 

Angel knew what he meant. He had just hoped Val wouldn’t notice... The bug used to constantly keep the spider drugged up to...’improve’ his movies, but what he didn’t know was that Angel had secretly stopped doing drugs. 

It wasn’t as if he actually believed in redemption. At first, he was certain he wouldn’t ever quit. Being numb seemed like a much better option than actually dealing with shit. Until Charlie started the therapy sessions... 

Somehow being in that stupid tiny room on that stupid brown and ugly sofa had made Angel...open up about a few things. He had been clean for three weeks and four days by now, and he didn’t want to go back to how things used to be. He felt so much more awake, so much more like his old self again. 

It was great, and the withdrawal symptoms were just starting to subside a little too. 

He knew Val wouldn’t see things the same way though, which is why he hadn’t told him. Angel hated lying to the other. Despite the pimp making him do things he didn’t want to do sometimes, he did love Val. 

The bug had taken him in when he first came to Hell and took care of him. Yeah, sure- maybe he got a bit aggressive at times, but that was always because Angel deserved it. The spider could look past all the red flags, just because it felt so nice to be loved by someone else. Besides, no one was perfect. Everyone deserved second chances. 

Well, what you don’t know can’t hurt you anyways. Val didn’t need to know the truth... 

“I’m sorry daddy, I’ll try harder- I promise.” 

Valentino just stared into the other’s eyes for a moment before he asked,”You’re loyal to me, right Angelcakes?” 

“Of course. Yer my one and only forever Vee.” 

After a beat of silence, the bug just nodded before he reached into his pockets and took out a small bag filled with a white powdery substance. 

“That’s just what I wanted to hear. Here’s a little present,” he said as he tossed the bag carelessly at Angel. 

He got up from the sofa,”You have a client who will be here in twenty minutes to pick you up. He’s an overlord, so be an extra good slut for him. Got it?” 

“Yes daddy, thank you.” 

Without another word, the pimp exited. Once the spider was sure he was gone, he went over towards his vanity and shoved the drugs into the drawer along with all the others Val had given him in the past few weeks. He still needed to find a way to sneak them out of here so he could dispose of them properly... 

\- 

Angel returned only a few minutes before curfew that night. 

“Ah, Angel! There you are. You were cutting it pretty close tonight.” 

“Aw, were ya worried about lil ol’ me?” Angel teased as he batted his long eyelashes. 

“No- in fact, I’m rather disappointed. I was hoping you wouldn’t make it on time. I do enjoy watching Vagatha yell at you.” 

Angel laughed as he peered over the other’s shoulder,”What did ya make tonight, smiles?” 

“Beignets! They should be ready soon.” 

“What even are they?” 

“You’ve never had them before? Why- that's just the saddest thing I’ve ever heard.” 

“Nah- never even heard of them until now. Well, guess there’s a first time for everything.” 

The two went silent, before Angel blurted out,”I just really wanna thank ya for helping me earlier today. Ya did me a huge solid, and it really means a lot. If there’s anything ya want me ta do- just name it. I owe ya.” 

“Why, of course. As I said- I want this ball to be a success. Although, I do have one idea about how you could repay the favor, if you really want too.” 

“What is it?” 

“Would you save me a dance at Charolette’s ball?” 

“Sure Al.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song used in this chapter:  
> misty- Johnny Burke
> 
> h*nd holding is Alastor's kink, srry i don't make the rules


	3. Ch 3. We Fear The Thing We Want The Most

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angel opens up about his family issues, Alastor learns about the asexual spectrum, Valentino comes up with a plan, Alastor realizes something (that we already knew), and Husk is just tired of everyone’s shit.
> 
> Buckle up, this chapter will be one long ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: emotionally abusive relationship strong in this one , hint of body shaming
> 
> This took so long to make, I’ve probably rewritten some of the scenes like ten times. I’m not really sure how to feel about it... Some of it I’m proud of, but there are some really weak parts in this chapter that I could’ve written better.
> 
> Anyways, enough rambling. Here’s the long awaited chapter three!

It all started with a single comment Alastor had made while talking with Husk that the spider had overheard on accident.

“Dear, I ensure you- if anyone here could get a reward for causing the most trouble, it would be me.”

This piqued Angel’s interest instantly, a good challenge always excited him.

“Is that so smiles?” 

“Why yes, back in my day I was known as quite the prankster.”

“Oh really? Well, times have changed old man,” Angel teased.

“Angel, you do understand you’re only about a decade younger than me- correct? I don’t think the term ‘old man’ suits me when I’m being compared to you.”

Angel ignored his comment and continued on,”I think this calls for a competition.”

“Oh? And what would this competition entail?”

“Let’s see who can out prank the other. Whoever surrenders first loses.”

“Are those the only rules? There are no other boundaries? My, my Angel- you do know you’re playing with fire, correct?”

A playful smile grew on Angel’s face,”Nah- yer the one playing with fire when ya underestimate me.”

“I guess we’ll just have to find out. I accept your challenge. Be warned dear- I don’t play nice.”

“Neither do I.”

“This is gonna be a disaster,” Husk grumbled.

-

“How was your week, Angel?” 

Angel shrugged,”It was alright. Same old, same old.”

He didn’t mention his talks with Al nor the dance lesson. For some reason he wanted to keep these moments for himself. It seemed a bit selfish, he knew that. 

Angel never thought he would’ve gotten as close as he did with Alastor. They were so different, yet everything just seemed so easy when he was with the other... He wouldn’t exactly say they were friends just yet, but he believed they were getting close.

Charlie nodded as she looked through her notes that sat in her lap and adjusted her reading glasses,”Last week you told me a bit about your twin sister, Molly. Would you like to continue that conversation?”

When Charlie went into ‘therapist mode’ she became a completely different person. She was calm, quiet, attentive, and serious. It was a bit weird for Angel to see the princess acting so differently.

Angel smiled at the thought of his sister, she was a distant but pleasant memory,”Sure, what else do ya wanna know about her?”

“Whatever you see fit about talking about.”

“Well, let me see...Oh! One time when she was helping me bleach my hair- I accidentally got some on her favorite shirt. She was mad at me for weeks! But she got over it when I bought her a box of cupcakes.”

“You seem to be really fond of her. Do you think you had a good relationship with her?”

“Ya, she was like my best friend,” before Angel could even think he blurted out,”I miss her, a lot...”

“Is she in Heaven?”

“Nah. She’s down here. I...I just can’t really see her.”

“Hasn’t she ever tried to contact you?”

Angel realized he had said way too much, this conversation was treading into dangerous territory that he wasn’t sure he wanted to revisit…

He couldn’t let Charlie know that this affected him though, it would show her he had a weakness. No, no, no. Angel needed to keep his persona up. He had to make it seemed like he didn’t care.

“She don’t even know I’m down here. None of my family does.”

“Does that mean you have other family members down here too?”

“Yep, all of ‘em.”

“How come they don’t know you’re down here?”

“Cause I haven’t even told anyone down here my real name. Not even Val! That way they ain’t got a way to connect human me, to Angel Dust. Besides, I doubt any of them are watching gay porn.”

“Why? Not about the gay porn thing, I mean- well...Don’t you want to see them? Molly seems to make you really happy.”

Angel just softly shook his head as he stared down at his lap.

_ “I was born in a messed up century,”  _ Angel’s voice came out soft, and gentle. Almost like a bird.

_“My favorite flavored sweets were raspberry amphetamines. I bought a car, Beretta age sixteen.”_

_“I brushed my teeth with bleach cause I ain’t got time for cavities.”_

And then, Angel’s head snapped up, almost instantly changing. He seemed angrier, his voice sounded frigid, and tough as nails. 

_“My daddy put a gun to my head,”_ Angel held up a finger gun to his forehead.

_“Said if you kiss a boy then I’ll shoot you dead,”_ the spider sung as he mimicked being shot in the head multiple times.

_“So I tied him up with gaffer tape and I locked him in the shed. Then I went out to the garden and I fucked my best friend.”_

_“Cause my high hopes are getting low- because these. People. Are. So-“_

Angel got up from the couch _,_ _”OLD! The way they think- about it all. If I tried I would never know.”_

_“Cause my high hopes are getting low, but I know I’ll never be alone,”_ The spider went over towards Charlie’s side.

Angel crouched down next to Charlie and put his arm around her shoulder , _”It’s alright- we'll survive. Cause parents ain’t always right.”_

“Angel I-” Charlie tried to talk to the other but Angel just continued _,_ _”They told me causal affection leads to sexual infection, but it’s hard to get an erection when you’re so used to rejection.”_

He released Charlie from his hold _,_ _”Yeah, the teacher fucked the preacher. But then he had to leave her- had to wash away the sins of a male cheerleader.”_

The spider jumped on top of the leather couch and stood on top of it, _” ‘Hi! Nice to meet ya, got nothing to believe in.”_

_“So let me know when my breathing stops’,”_ without even thinking , Angel stuck his arms out and fell backwards.

“Angel!” Charlie called out.

Angel slowly got up as he rubbed his head,”I’m fine- I'm fine. Dammit, I’m an idiot. I just got really invested in that shit for a second I forgot there was nothing but hard fucking floor underneath me.”

A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he took a seat back on the couch,”So, yeah, that’s why I ain’t ever really wanna see them again. I know it ain’t Molly’s fault...but I guess…”

_‘I’m just afraid they’ll all be so...so disappointed in me when they see me now. When they all realize they were right about me. I’m nothing more than a whore and a pansy. Y’know?’_

“I guess I just don’t wanna hear from my parents. They give me a headache.”

Suddenly, the timer went off. Meaning the session had ended.

“I- I think we made a breakthrough today Angel. I’m glad you trusted me enough to tell me. Same time next week?”

“Yeah, sure toots.” 

Although, as Angel got up to leave Charlie called out quickly,”Angel.”

“Yeah?”

“Family isn’t all about blood. Sometimes, family are the people around you who support and love you for who you are.”

Angel’s smile grew,”Thanks Charlie.”

-

As Angel headed towards his room, he noticed the door was slightly ajar. He didn’t think anything of it, just chalking it up to him forgetting to close it. He regretted this line of thinking the moment he pushed the door opened, and instantly a bucket of ketchup fell on top of him.

He lifted the bucket off of him, already knowing who the culprit was. 

“Ah, Angel, there you are! I had been waiting here for a few hours, I was sure you weren’t ever going to arrive at this point.”

Alastor sat on the edge of Angel’s heart shaped bed, a cup of coffee in his hand as he sipped it nonchalantly.

“Seems like so much work for such little pay off. I mean- you've been sitting here for hours, just for a juvenile prank. The whole ‘bucket on top of door’ thing has been done a million times. Really, I expected more from ya smiles.”

“Juvenile? Dear, I think the proper word is classic. Besides, everything was worth it once I got to see the look on your face. I do remember you saying something about tomatoes...what was it? Ah yes, how they were ‘a respected vegetable from where you came from.’ I assumed you would be a bit happier to be covered in the stuff you seem to love so much.”

“I ain’t a meatloaf Al! Just cause I like it on my food don’t mean I want ta be covered in the shit.”

“Well, there’s a lot more pranks like that on the way. Unless you want to surrender and admit I’m the best prankster. If you do so, I’ll happily stop,” Alastor’s smile grew evilly.

“I didn’t say anything about surrendering. Although, I’d just like to warn ya- whatever stunt ya pull, I can do ten times better. Watch yer back-” Angel scraped a bit of ketchup off of his fur and booped it onto the radio demon’s nose,”Rudolph.”

Before Alastor could even respond to the brand new nickname and sudden contact, Angel was already heading towards his bathroom. Alastor’s face was almost the color of his suit, and he felt this strange feeling in his chest. 

Perhaps he was allergic to ketchup, and just never knew about it. It was the worst condiment, after all.

-

“Oh Vagatha dear, may I speak with you for a moment?”

Vaggie groaned at the familiar voice, she had tried to do everything in her power to avoid the other, but it seemed like it just wasn’t working very well for her. 

She knew that even just one of Alastor’s annoying comments could make her blow a fuse. Something about him just made her blood boil... She wanted to avoid the other before she had an outburst, because she knew how much it meant to Charlie to have an overlord investor.

‘Think about Charlie, Vaggie. Think about Charlie’ she thought to herself as she took calming breaths.

“What do you want?”

“Well, I am aware that you died in modern times, correct?”

Vaggie already knew this conversation was starting off weirdly, Alastor barely showed any interest in things that happened after his death,”Yeah…..”

“You see dear, I was...well I know that your times were much more, how do I put this...accepting than mine. I understand they have a lot more names for, certain, uh- orientations. Or, well, perhaps the proper word is identities.”

Vaggie looked at Alastor with a confused expression, not really understanding what he was getting at.

Alastor sighed and decided he should just try and be more blunt,”For a very long time I always thought of myself as, well, weird because I feel very little...well, sexual attraction. Although, I had hoped that perhaps you would know if there was an identity that could explain my...feelings.”

The radio demon felt completely out of his comfort zone, he wasn’t supposed to care for things such as a simple label. Yet, the idea of other people out there feeling the same as he did, well...He just needed to know.

Vaggie’s face softened, she remembered what it was like to question her own feelings. She also recalled how happy she felt to know that there were other people out there who felt exactly the same way she did. Well, what harm could it do to help?

“A few things come to mind, but here- let me print out a few articles that might help.”

-

Alastor slowly read through the papers Vaggie had handed him, soaking in every word, while Vaggie sat next to him in case he had any questions.

Asexual. Ace for short. It felt so...so nice to finally have a word for his feelings. To know that he wasn’t unnatural. 

“I think...I think I’m asexual,” he murmured softly.

“Although, I don’t think, well...I don’t think I feel no sexual attraction. I guess I have felt it once in life...does that mean I’m not ace?”

“Nope, asexuality is a spectrum. It’s like this...” Vaggie grabbed a nearby napkin and pen. She began to draw a line with arrows on both sides. 

“Over here on the right is someone who enjoys doing sexual activities, and has no problem with them. While there on the left is someone who feels no sexual attraction at all. But, as you can see- there's a lot of space left in the middle too in between the two radicals. Just because sometimes you feel sexual attraction doesn’t mean you’re not asexual. Asexual is also an umbrella term, so there are other identities under that umbrella, that all mean different things. But, no matter what identity you fall under, you’re still under the asexual umbrella.”

“And- even if you’re here,” she circled a spot that leaned towards the left side but wasn’t completely at the end,”you’re still asexual.”

Alastor nodded as he listened closely. 

“And just because you’re ace doesn’t mean you can’t have any romantic relationships. While many asexual people aren’t interested in the sexual aspects of relationships, they do enjoy the romantic parts. Just because you want to be in a relationship doesn’t mean you’re invalid.”

“Vagatha, I...thank you. For helping me. I know that you don’t trust me, for good reason, but I do appreciate your help. Today has been very...eye opening for me.”

“Of course, if you ever have any more questions, feel free to ask.”

Alastor nodded as he handed the papers back to Vaggie,”I will make sure to do so if any arise. Good night dear.”

With that, the radio demon made his way off to his room, he had a lot to think about. Perhaps...perhaps he hadn’t given modern times a fair chance. While his times were still far more superior, there were some things modern times excelled at that his didn’t, and that was acceptance and tolerance.

As he entered his room, he was shocked at the sight that greeted him. Hundreds of paper cups filled with water littered his floor to the point where if he made one wrong move, they would topple over and get all over his expensive rugs. Like dominos.

Alastor knew this must’ve been Angel’s doing.

It was a good prank, to be fair to the spider. And well thought out. He knew how much time it would take for the deer to pick up these cups one by one to avoid spilling them...

As he quickly tried to clean up the mess, he pondered over what he would do to get back at the spider. He still had some time to prepare a prank before Angel returned from work...

-

“I’m back Al!” Angel called out as he walked into the kitchen. What greeted him was absolutely adorable.

The radio demon was wearing a cute little red and white apron, with his hair tied back into a ponytail.

“Welcome back Angel! I decided to step out of my comfort zone a bit to make some sweets. I know how much you seem to enjoy them. So I’m baking chocolate chip cookies! They should be ready any minute now.”

“That’s sweet of ya smiles,” Angel said as he took a seat at the kitchen island, still focused on the overlord’s new hairstyle. 

“Today I also did as you suggested, and I talked to Vaggie about my...well, feelings. With her help, I think I found the proper label that seems to fit.”

Alastor didn’t even know why he was telling Angel all of this, it really wasn’t like him at all. Something about the spider made it just so easy to talk to him... Maybe it was the way he smiled, he always seemed to be intently listening, didn’t judge, and gave some genuinely good advice. 

_‘Or perhaps it’s because you’re starting to trust him. You’re becoming closer to the spider.’_

Alastor was almost too busy trying to forget that thought that he almost didn’t hear Angel ask,”That’s good, what’d ya find out?”

“Oh, well, um- I believe I am asexual.”

Angel gave him a puzzled look, and Alastor realized the spider probably didn’t know what it meant, considering that they were alive around the same time period. Even though Angel kept up to date with modern technology, Angel really didn’t busy himself with things like that unless it directly concerned him.

“It means that I feel little to no sexual attraction,” Alastor explained.

“Ohhhh, sorry about that- I was a bit lost cause I ain’t never heard that before. But, anyways- I'm really happy for ya, Al. It’s great that ya found a label that feels right for ya and describes yer feelings.”

The radio demon didn’t realize that he had been holding his breath until Angel said that. For some reason he did feel a little bit...worried (was that the right word?) about how the other would react. 

Why? Why would he even care if Angel reacted badly? Why did he put so much value in the other’s acceptance? Why did he even care about all of this in the fir-

Suddenly, the oven beeped, signaling the cookies were ready. Yes, this would be the perfect distraction. 

“It looks like the cookies are ready dear!”

Alastor grabbed the pan out of the oven and placed it on the counter.

“Be careful, they’re hot. You might want to wait for them to cool off.”

“Ah, fuck that. Only pussies wait,” Angel said as he grabbed one of the cookies and took a huge bite.

Alastor’s smile widened as Angel’s face contorted and spat out the cookie.

“Ew! What the hell?! This shit ain’t a chocolate chip cookie!”

“Oh dear, I guess I must’ve made oatmeal raisin cookies instead. Silly me.”

“Yer evil.”

“I told you I don’t play nice. Are you considering quitting yet?”

“Not one bit.”

-

Alastor walked over towards the bar and took a seat at one of the spinning chairs. Although, once he did, a loud screech was heard, causing the deer to jump.

Husker began to laugh, while the radio demon looked under his chair and saw that the spider must’ve taped an airhorn under the seat before he left for work...

He removed the airhorn, and just shook his head.

“I’m shocked you haven’t pulled some voodoo shit on him yet.”

“Where is the fun in that? I do enjoy a good challenge every now and then.”

“Yeah, sure,” Husk muttered as he took a swig out of his bottle.

“Husker, you might not want to get drunk so soon. You will have to man the bar at the ball tonight, after all.” 

“Not all of us give a fuck about the stupid ball like you do.”

“I don’t care that much about it.”

“You haven’t shut up about the stupid thing for like two days now. You’ve been much more distracted recently. And to top it all off you never cared before about how much I drank, no matter what I was doing later that night,” Husk listed, obviously he had thought about this a lot.

Alastor was a bit impressed, but also annoyed.He didn’t like being called out.

“Well maybe I do care about it a little. I must admit that I’m looking forward to dancing with Angel,” Alastor admitted.

“Since when did you start caring about Angel too? First the ball- now him? What’s next, you’re gonna start caring about Vox’s feelings or something?” 

Alastor’s brow furrowed,”That’s a preposterous idea, Husker. I have no idea why you would ever suspect I would care for Angel Dust.”

“I ain’t an idiot. You ain’t fooling me.”

“Dear I would prefer if you didn’t suggest such a laughable concept. Caring about others is below someone like me.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure...whatever you say,” Husk muttered.

-

The pimp’s brows furrowed as he read out the invitation he had received from none other than the princess herself. To be honest, he thought nothing of it when it was placed on his desk a day or two ago. He simply discarded it, never even planning to open it.

Although today curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to at least read the overly colorful invitation. At the very least, he could get a good laugh out of the princess’s horrendous doodles.

But, as he skimmed through, he found himself considering attending her silly little ball... Recently he had been noticing that Angel had been rather...involved with this hotel. Too involved for his liking. He was losing his grip on the spider, and he couldn’t have that. 

Despite owning all of his worker’s souls, he also understood just how important it is to also make them willing to cooperate. To give them the illusion that they were respected even. If they simply were only at the studio just so they could stay alive, or well, er, not die again, then it would show in their work. He needed his workers to trust him, need him. It was much easier to take advantage of someone who was seeing the roach through rose colored glasses, after all.

Yes, this ball would be the perfect opportunity for him to get to the root of what was making his star distrust him. He was sure it had to do with that stupid hotel... Besides, it would also be a good chance for him to get the whore on his side again. To remind him of his place.

He couldn’t have a star who thought they deserved more than what they already had, after all. Angel had a place, like everyone in Hell. 

Valentino had a place at the studios, manipulating lower class demons to do his bidding, and giving all of the lustful demons in Hell something to entertain them for a bit.

Lucifer had a place at his castle in Hell, ruling over everyone, and making sure Hell doesn’t collapse. 

Meanwhile, Angel had a place at the studios. On his knees, drugged out, and doing whatever it is that pleased others. 

That was his place, his purpose, the only thing he would ever be good at. And the sooner Angel realized that, the better.

He searched through his desk drawers, and retrieved what he was looking for. 

Valentino stuffed the long (but narrow) black case into his pocket, fluffed up his jacket, and walked towards Angel’s dressing room, where he should be preparing for his final shoot of the day.

“Hello Angel cakes~” Valentino greeted.

“Hi daddy, do ya need me for anything?” 

“No Angie, I just wanted to speak with you about something.”

“What is it? Ya can tell me anything Vee.”

“I heard that the princess’ little hotel is throwing a ball tonight, is that so?”

Angel nodded, a bit confused on where this was going...

“Well, I just so happened to be invited. And I understand that this hotel thing means a lot to you, so I decided to attend it just for you.”

Angel’s eyes widened,”Wait- really? I thought ya didn’t care for the hotel.”

“I don’t, but I do care for you,” the roach walked over towards the spider, and planted a kiss on his forehead.

“Awww, daddy- ya don’t have ta go for me.”

“I would do anything for you Angie, you’re my little star. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes Vee.”

“And you know I’m the only one who will ever put up with the shit you pull?”

“Yes Vee.”

“Good boy. I picked out this present specifically for you Angie. I figured you could wear it tonight,” Valentino lied, not letting on that on he bought it a few weeks ago and just had it lying around collecting dust.

Valentino pulled out the jewelry box, and gently handed it to the spider.

Angel slowly opened it, to reveal a beautiful necklace. The string was golden, with a huge white diamond hanging from it.

The spider gasped, never seeing anything like it before,”Val- ya shouldn’t have!”

“I did if for you. Just promise me you’ll be good for daddy, alright? You owe me.”

“Yes daddy.”

“Good, now- hurry, your next shoot will be soon.”

-

Alastor waited impatiently by the hotel door, Angel hadn’t shown up yet, and he did remember the spider telling him he would be back an hour before the event was set to start... Although, it had already begun. Many guests had already arrived and were in the ballroom. Yet, there was no sign of Angel.

“Alastor?”

Alastor jumped slightly at the sudden noise,”Oh- Charolette. I didn’t see you there.”

He took in the princess’ outfit. She wore a light red suit, with a black shirt underneath, along with a white tie. Her blonde hair had been done into an elegant bun.

“What are you still doing in the lobby?”

“Well I’m waiting for Angel. He said he was supposed to be here by now, and I just want to make sure when he gets back he didn’t do any sinful activities that would ruin his redemption process.”

“Oh, I must’ve forgot to tell you...”

“Forget to tell me what?”

“Angel texted me a little while ago, he told me that Valentino was escorting him, and he’d be a little late.”

“You invited Valentino?” Alastor asked, as he slowly processed Charlie’s words and their meanings.

“Yeah- I mean, I invited every overlord personally. I didn’t expect any of them to show up, but I thought it was worth a try... One overlord investor is great, but you know what they say- two heads are better than one.”

“I- I see. Very well then. I guess I’ll- I’ll see you in the ballroom.”

Charlie nodded, noticing how Alastor was hesitant to answer. She thought it was weird, but decided to worry about it later.

The princess returned to the ballroom, when she saw her target. Perfect. 

Charlie tip toed quietly, and crouched down low to the ground to avoid being spotted. When she was close enough, she pounced.

She hooked her arms around Vaggie’s shoulders,”Boo!”

Vaggie jumped a little and made a tiny yelping sound in surprise, but she soon realized it was just her girlfriend. 

“Charlie- one day you’re going to give me a heart attack.”

The blonde giggled as she detached herself from the other, and faced her. She was taken aback by Vaggie’s appearance.

Her long gray hair was done into one large braid with black flower pins stuck into random places. It reminded her of Rapunzel’s hair from that one scene in Tangled.

Vaggie wore a dark black dress with a plunging v-neck, which clung tightly around her figure. The dress even had two pockets in the front! But the most beautiful thing about her in that moment was her gorgeous and light hearted smile. 

Charlie felt as if she was melting like an ice cream cone on a hot day.

“Is something wrong babe?”

“Wh-what? Nn-no! Of course not!” Charlie stuttered as her face became a rosy red color.

Vaggie just shook her head at the sight of her flustered girlfriend. Suddenly, her phone buzzed.

The moth fished her phone out of her right pocket, and her face darkened once she saw who it was.

Charlie noticed the other’s sudden mood change,”Who is it Vags?”

Vaggie declined the call and shoved her phone back into her pocket,”No one. Just a spam caller.”

-

Charlie, Vaggie, and Niffty had all done a wonderful job fixing the old ballroom up. The once dirty and dusty floors and pillars that surrounded the room were now a shiny golden color, and the walls a pearly marble. 

It was quite a sight to Alastor, although he found himself having trouble focusing on anything really. Despite Charlie’s explanation, he still found himself constantly looking around the room to see if Angel had shown up.

While looking down at his almost empty wine glass, he noticed a mixture of pink and white fur enter the room. His head snapped up towards the sudden movement, and his eyes widened in shock. Angel wore a ballroom dress that looked to be from the Victorian era. It was a pale pink color with a golden trim, and gold patterns on the bottom half of the large dress. 

It wasn’t something Alastor ever thought the other would wear, yet now he couldn’t get it out of his head. Angel looked memorizing.

His makeup was less flashy, and more subtle. Although Alastor did notice a little hint of glitter on his face.

Of course Alastor always thought the other looked stunning, (he would never admit that though, not even to himself) but the sudden and noticeable change was taking a toll on the deer.

Angel caught Alastor staring, and met his gaze. The spider smiled at the other, and gave a tiny wave. Alastor felt his stomach churn as he felt like he was in a cloud. Without another thought, the radio demon walked over towards the spider and his pimp.

“Hello Angel, hello Valentino,” Alastor greeted.

“Hello Alastor, I haven’t seen you around for quite some time. I assumed you up and died or something.”

“I’ve been rather busy with this hotel- I don’t really concern myself with staying in the public eye. I can’t imagine begging for attention all the time, it must be exhausting for you.”

“Not as exhausting as it must be for you to act like a prude all the time. Tell me, how long have you kept those legs shut?”

Alastor bristled, before he could say anything Angel cut in,”Vee baby, lay off. He don’t like sex jokes.” 

“The adults are talking Angelcakes,” Valentino scolded.

Alastor bit his tongue in frustration. It took everything in him to not scream at the other overlord. He knew he couldn’t make a scene, it would let Valentino know that his comments bothered him! Yet, it did sound tempting to just crush the roach right then and there… He needed a distraction before he did something he would regret later on.

“Angel dear, you’ve fixed yourself up quite nicely tonight.”

“Aw, thanks Al. Didn’t know ya could be so sweet!”

“Sweet? Me? Oh never. I detest such things. I was simply commenting on how you look much better compared to what you usually wear,” Alastor teased playfully.

“I know yer just jealous of my style. Admit it- you wish ya could dress like me. Ya practically wear the same thing every damn day!”

“Well you know what they say darling, if it isn’t broken, no need to fix it. Sadly, I can’t say the same thing about you.”

Angel snorted,”Jealously is a disease, get well soon bitch.”

The spider did an exaggerated air kiss towards the deer.

Valentino watched the two interact as if he wasn’t even there. It made his blood boil… He came to this stupid ball for the whore, and he barely was even speaking to him. He was too focused on that damn radio demon…

What was his game? Did he want to steal Angel from him? Valentino didn’t know- but whatever he wanted with his property, he wouldn’t have it.

Valentino’s arm snaked around Angel’s waist as he pulled the spider closer to him. 

“It seems even a broken clock is right twice a day, huh Alastor? You’re correct, my Angie has been looking less favorable the past few weeks. I’ve noticed he’s gotten a bit pudgy.”

Angel’s smile and face deflated as he cast his eyes towards the ground.

Alastor winced as Angel’s smile fell. He looked heavenly when he smiled, and seeing it fall made him upset.

“Nonsense. I’m sure Angel could seduce any fellow at this party right now if he wanted.”

“I guess you’re right, my Angie can bed anyone he wishes, whether he looks like his little pet pig or not. Isn’t that right baby?” Valentino cooed as he kissed the top of the spider’s forehead.

“Yes daddy,” Angel replied, although the words came from his mouth, Alastor was sure this wasn’t the real Angel. He knew it couldn’t have been the sassy, take no shit, diva spider demon he had just been talking too...Where did Angel go?

“Angelcakes did learn from the best, after all.”

“Oh? And who would that be?” Alastor asked smugly.

Valentino glared at Alastor, as he twitched in anger.

Suddenly, a song perfect for the waltz came on, and everyone started to get into partners. 

Alastor looked at Angel, and extended his arm out. 

“I believe I was promised a dance.”

Angel’s face lit up,“Well, I guess I need to uphold my end of my promise. I can’t have it getting around that I’m a liar.”

“No, no, no- we can’t damage your already spotless reputation,” Alastor said with a smirk.

The two went towards the dance floor, and got into their waltzing positions. They fell right back into the steps. 

Alastor stared into Angel’s mismatched eyes, they were memorizing. Alastor thought he could get lost into those eyes. They reminded him of an ocean of light pink roses.

“Angel- do you believe in redemption?” The deer suddenly asked before he could he could even think.

Angel shrugged,”Maybe- I think it might be possible….but then again if it were, I doubt someone like me could ever be redeemed. So it just don’t matter ta me I guess…What about ya? I know ya said ya didn’t when ya first got here, although did ya change yer mind?”

Alastor thought about it for a moment as he looked at the demon in front of him…The way his pink spots were brighter at this moment, his fur looked like a cloud (he wondered if it felt like one too perhaps), the warmth emitting from Angel’s palms, how intently Angel looked at the other as he awaited an answer, and his smile… How it curved so gently. The way his golden tooth glinted softly from the corner. The way his eyes lit up…

“I think there are some demons down here who could one day ascend to the Heavens.”

Angel nodded.

“To be honest, I don’t think Vaggie really belongs down here. Yeah, she can be a bitch sometimes, but she also don’t seem like a murderer.”

Alastor thought of his conversation he had earlier with Vaggie, how helpful and patient she was with him, the way she explained everything in a way that the deer would understand…

“Yes, I too am a bit curious about what she did to have ended up down here.”

Valentino watched as they danced, as he dug his claws into his palm in rage.

The two went silent, Alastor noticed Angel looked a bit distracted… His eyes kept darting to the side, and his smile looked less genuine. 

“Angel dear, is something wrong? You seem a little bit distracted.”

“Al- have ya ever cared for someone? Cared for someone so much ta the point ya just look past all the red flags- and just ignore all the warnings just cause ya want to be with them?”

“I did care for my dear mother very much.”  _And someone else when I was alive..._

“I don’t mean a family member- I mean like, have ya ever found someone down in Hell that ya care for?”

The question caught Alastor off guard, he didn’t really know how to answer that. Had he ever cared for another demon?

No! Of course not. He rid himself of all human emotion years ago. Yet…

He did long to talk to Angel. He volunteered to help Angel learn how to waltz, despite him getting nothing in return. He didn’t hate Angel’s touch. He was happy to know Angel accepted him. He looked forward to the ball because he wanted to dance with Angel. He was worried when Angel was late. 

Ever since he took up ‘curfew duty’, he’s had these strange feelings towards the spider…They’ve just gotten more intense as time went on, they were suffocating at this point.

Is it possible…no! Of course not! He was the radio demon, he doesn’t care for anyone but himself. But….it did make sense….

Oh Satan, he cared for Angel Dust. The heartless, monstrous, big bad radio demon cared for Angel Dust.

Valentino decided he had enough of this. He stormed towards the two, and latched onto Angel’s wrist.

“Angie- we need to talk. In private.”

“Yes Val.”

Before Alastor could even say anything, Valentino was practically dragging Angel away.

Leaving the deer all alone with his thoughts as he stood in the middle of the dance floor.

He had to do something about these feelings. He had to get rid of them. But how? This might call for some more desperate measures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song used in this chapter: Parents- Yungblud
> 
> (Chapter title is a quote by Robert Anthony)


	4. Ch 4. You Have No One To Blame But Yourself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentino reminds Angel who he belongs to. Alastor comes up with a solution to his unwanted feelings towards the spider. Husk isn’t taking any of Alastor’s bullshit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: physically abusive relationship is very strong in this chap, as well as manipulation
> 
> I don’t really like how this turned out at all. Although I finished it like three days ago and I’ve just been in this constant cycle of re reading it over and over, and each time I change something I’m never satisfied with the end product anyways.
> 
> I decided I might as well just stop being a pussy and post it, although I may or may not do some revisions later on. (I know that’s hella un professional to post something and then be like ‘oh lemme just change it up a few weeks later’ but honestly what do y’all expect from me anyways.)

Valentino dragged Angel into an empty room, locking the door behind him.

“Daddy- what’s going on?” Angel asked, his voice meek.

He knew that look in Valentino’s eyes, he had seen it before.

Angel quivered at the memories, he knew better than anyone that you didn’t want to be around Valentino when he was angry.

He just hoped he could deescalate things. 

Valentino rubbed his temples in annoyance,”What’s going on?! What’s going ON?! Don’t act like I don’t see right through your little stunts!”

“Stunts? What stunts? Daddy what do ya me-“

Angel was cut off as Valentino harshly shoved the spider against the wall,”Shut UP! Do you think I’m an idiot?! Do you think I don’t see the way you’re cozying up to that radio demon! Do you think you can just get rid of me like that you little slut?! After EVERYTHING I’ve done for you!”

“Vee, I swear it’s not like that. I would never try and replace ya,” Angel said with wide eyes as he peered up at the taller demon.

Valentino looked down at him, and sighed.

“I want to believe you Angie- you know that, right?”

Angel shook his head up and down frantically.

“But I can’t just forget this. You really hurt daddy when you did that. There needs to be consequences.”

Valentino released his tight grip from Angel’s shoulders, the spider slid down the wall and plopped onto the floor.

The pimp’s eyes caught on a blade on top of a desk, an idea popped into his head. He grabbed it by the handle, and held onto it tightly.

“Angelcakes, I have to prove to everyone that you’re mine. I need to remind you that you belong to me, and only me.”

He turned around and kneeled down next to the spider,”I’m sorry baby, but you left me with no choice. You have nobody to blame but yourself.”

“Val, what are you doi-,” the spider let out a loud and pain-filled scream.

Valentino dug the blade into Angel’s stomach, cutting through his dress while doing so.

“ _Lips burrow so deep- give me good sleep. Pour a little sugar on my wound_ ,” Valentino whispered into Angel’s ear, while he began to carve.

“ _Musical master, play harder and faster,_ ” the bug placed a few kisses onto Angel’s neck. They were slow, and careful. Affectionate even. 

It made Angel feel extremely confused, how could he be doing something like this and still act affectionate? Was it true that Valentino didn’t want to do this- and it was all Angel’s fault?

That thought made Angel feel even worse.

_You have no one to blame but yourself._

_“Spinning me up in your silky cocoon.”_

Valentino finished up with the first letter.

“Please, please daddy- don’t do thi-“ the spider let out another yelp as the other moved onto the next letter. He just wanted this nightmare to end. 

_“Feels like we’re dreaming, we’re tripping and reeling.”_

_“Just say that you belong to me. **You belong to me!** ”_ Valentino snarled the last bit, his malice coming out through his words.

“ _I could get lost in the feelings we’re feeling_ ,” he finished the letter he was on.

_“Just say that you belong to me. **You belong to me!”**_

Angel bit his lip, trying to stop himself from crying. He wouldn’t have it, he WOULDN’T cry.

Valentino’s head snapped up as he grabbed the necklace he gave Angel earlier and yanked it off his neck, _”Do you want more of this? Isn’t it glorious?”_

He threw the expensive gift back at the spider’s face.

_“I can’t believe that it’s free. **You belong to me!** ” _He whispered into Angel’s ear.

He quickly began to carve the final letter, this time he was more rushed as his anger became more prominent. 

_“I will adore you, I’ll only live for you.”_ He finished, standing up and taking a step back as he admired his work.

He had dug into the other’s stomach, carving ‘VAL’. This way, the spider would never forget who he belonged to.

The overlord grabbed Angel by his cheeks. He was only a few inches away from the other’s face. Angel could feel Valentino’s hot breath on his skin.

_“Just say that you belong to me.”_

“I- I belong to you,” Angel whispered, finding it painful to even breath.

“Good boy.”

With that, Valentino released his grip on the other and left. Leaving the spider all alone.

Angel’s breaths were ragged as he inspected the wound, his eyes widened as he saw how much he was bleeding. He crossed his lower set of arms around his stomach, trying to hide the damage. He didn’t want to even look at it.

He needed a drink. He needed to be numb.

Angel got up from his spot slowly, he made his way towards the door, and towards Husk’s bar.

“Give me the strongest bottle of alcohol ya have,” he barked as he slid a few of his good boy points towards the cat.

Husk was a bit caught off guard by the other’s weird behavior, but he didn’t say anything. He turned around, and slide an entire bottle of cheap booze across the bar.

-

Angel finished off the bottle, the world around him going fuzzy as he struggled to sit up straight in his chair.

“Kid, you don’t look so good. Maybe you should go lay down,” Husk reached out to try and steady the swaying spider, but Angel slapped his hand away.

Husk drew his hand back, Angel had never reacted this way to a simple touch before. What was up with him?

Angel began to giggle,”Sorry Husky....If ya....If ya wanna touch me...ya gotta get Val’s permission first....I- I belong ta him...did ya know that?”

Husk barely payed attention to the others ramblings, he thought the other was just spouting random drunken nonsense. 

“I’m so lucky...he cares so much for me...” Angel hiccuped as more giggles escaped his lips,”I’m his and....only his...look- it even says right here...”

“Look, Angel, you gotta-“ Husk gasped as Angel stood up and removed his lower set of hands. Revealing the word ‘VAL’ carved into his stomach like he was a block of wood.

“Isn’t it beautiful? Now...Now I’ll never forget!” He said cheerfully, almost as if there was nothing wrong with it.

Husk looked over the counter and noticed the puddle of blood on the floor.

The red and thick liquid had soaked through the dress and it snaked down Angel’s legs, leaving a large pool of blood underneath him.

“Ch-Charlie! Get over here, quick!” Husk called out frantically.

Charlie rushed over, Husk sounded very afraid, which was unusual behavior for the bartender,”What? What is-“

She noticed Angel’s state, her eyes grew wide with worry and shock. The princess quickly went over to the spider, but before she could try and grab him, she was pushed away.

“Sorr- sorry toots...ya gotta pay ta touch just...just like everyone else...goddamn, I need another...drin-“ he began to go into another fit of hiccups.

“Angel, we need to bandage you up. You’re bleeding really bad.”

“Nah- I, I’m fine...hey, Chacha, ya should have Vag’s carve her name in ta ya...then we’d match! Can ya...imagine that? Then everyone...everyone would know who ya...belonged ta!”

“Angel please, we have to get you somewhere saf-“

“Why is everything- why is everything black? Who turned off the lights?” Angel cut her off, before he collapsed to the ground.

“ANGEL!” Charlie screamed.

Alastor’s eyes widened at the sight as he turned around towards the source of the sudden screams. Angel laid there lifelessly on the floor, his fur and dress stained with dark red blood, a weird carving in his stomach that he couldn’t quite make out from where he was at.

“SOMEONE HELP!” Charlie cried out, tears streaming down her face as she sat down and pulled the spider onto her lap.

Vaggie rushed over to her girlfriend’s side, Alastor not far behind. His smile fell for the first time in years, only for a split second though before he quickly gained back control. Although it was more strained as he attempted to help.

The sight of seeing Angel on the floor soaked in blood still ingrained in his mind.

-

When Angel woke up, his head felt like it had been caved in with a hammer. He didn’t remember last night at all...he must’ve gotten super wasted. Charlie probably wouldn’t be too happy with him, maybe he should go apologiz- wait, where was he?

A sudden surge of panic coursed through his veins since he had no idea where he was, but as he blinked and his vision adjusted, he realized that he was in his room.

The spider turned around on his side and saw none other than Alastor next to his bed. 

Alastor was sitting in a chair that he must’ve pulled up next to Angel’s beside, and he had tried to distract himself with a book.

“Al? What happened?” Angel grumbled.

Alastor’s head snapped up as he quickly put the book away, he felt immediate relief,”You’re awake.”

Angel went to sit up, although he felt a sudden burst of pain in his stomach area. He groaned as he looked down, once he saw his bandaged stomach, memories of what Valentino did to him last night came rushing back.

“Oh. Oh,” he said in realization.

“I was able to speed up the regeneration process a bit, although the injuries were pretty deep and severe. You need to take it easy for a few days,” Alastor instructed.

Angel nodded, as he leaned up against his pillow.

“Angel?”

“Yeah?”

“Did...did Valentino do this to you?”

Angel sighed, he knew this question was going to come up. He knew it. He had just hoped he’d have a bit longer to come up with a good cover story...

“No, I- I tripped. With a knife in my hand.”

“So you just somehow carved ‘VAL’ into your stomach by tripping? Angel dear, you’re a terrible liar.”

Angel sighed, there was no way out of this,”He- he didn’t mean it! He was just angry with me- it..it wasn’t his fault.”

“Angel that’s preposterous, how could this NOT be his fault? He was the one that cut you up like you were a piece of meat!”

Alastor subconsciously dug his claws into his palms, if he hadn’t been wearing gloves, he would’ve drawn blood. The static around him became louder as the shadows in the room made horrible screeching noises.

He didn’t know why, but just thinking about what that roach did to Angel it just...it made him so incredibly angry. He didn’t understand it, couldn’t understand it even. Thinking back to how Angel looked on that floor...all he could see was red.

Maybe this was how Vaggie felt all the time. 

Once he noticed Angel’s scared expression!and the way he trembled, he realized that his meltdown wasn’t helping Angel. 

He quickly calmed himself down. Alastor didn’t want Angel to be scared of him- which was a weird feeling. He always wanted to be feared by everyone. 

“Angel I- I’m sorry. I just got a bit, ur, overwhelmed...Why did he do this to you exactly?”

“Look, what happened was my fault. If I...If I just hadn’t made him so jealous, he wouldn’t have done it.”

“What do you mean?”

“I...I belong ta him, okay? And he didn’t like it when we...Well, I wasn’t paying him any attention at the ball.”

Alastor realized what Angel was talking about. They were talking quite a lot at the ball, and Alastor was trying to push the Valentino’s buttons a little...

Although he never would’ve thought that the roach would..would...do this! 

The fact that this whole ordeal was somehow his own fault made Alastor feel even angrier. Something needed to be done before he popped a vein.

“Well, Angel, would you like to come along to go fetch Valentino? Or would you like me to pick him up for you, and then you may torture him as you see fit?”

“Wh-What? What are ya talking about?”

“I’m talking about getting revenge dear. For what he did to you. Now, how would you like to proceed? Oh- perhaps I could even broadcast it!”

“No! I- I don’t want ta do anything ta him!”

Alastor cocked his head in confusion,”Dear, I’m not following. Whatever do you mean?”

“I mean I don’t want ya ta hurt him at ALL!”

“Well how else are we supposed to make sure he doesn’t hurt you again? We must teach him a lesson.”

“He won’t hurt me again- look, this was just- it was a one time thing. He got upset over something I did. I learned my lesson, it won’t happen again.”

“How can you be so sure? Why are you still protecting that roach after what he did to you?”

“Because I- I’m his, alright?! I’m his. He’s the only demon who’s been with me from the beginning, h-he helped me when no one else did! I- I...I think I...I think I love him.”

“Angel...”

“And- And ain’t ya supposed ta be there for people ya love even when they fuck up?! Ain’t ya supposed ta forgive them and give them a second chance??”

“He sliced you open Angel, that’s not love!”

“And who are ya ta decide what’s love and what’s not? Oh tell me, what does the heartless, murderous, canniballistic radio demon have ta say about love?” Angel snapped.

“Angel, I-“

“No. Let me speak. Ya DON’T get ta come in here and judge me, when yer just as fucked up as I am. Val didn’t mean it- it was a mistake. He’ll never do it again.”

“You...I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to come off as judgmental. I just-,” I’m worried about you,”I just want to make sure our first patron doesn’t double die on us.”

“I won’t. Val will take care of me. He always has.”

Alastor sighed, he knew there was nothing he could say to change Angel’s mind. If Angel didn’t want anything to be done, then he wouldn’t go against his wishes.

“Angel just...just promise me if he harms you again you’ll tell us. I- Charlie is just very worried about you.”

Angel nodded,”I appreciate that ya guys are worried, but it’s really nothing. I’m fine.”

Alastor looked down back at Angel’s wound, Angel bleeding out popped back into his head once more. His fur stood on edge at the memory. He wanted to make Valentino pay, to make sure that it never happened again. But- if Angel didn’t want any action to be taken, then he certainly didn’t want to take away his choice just like Valentino had when he cut him up.

“Well, I’m just right down the hall, Charlie and Vaggie are downstairs, so if you need anything- please let us know.”

“I will.”

With that, Alastor got up from his spot, tucking his book under his arm, and briskly walked out of the room.

He still needed to come up with a solution for his...unwanted feelings. 

Feelings were a sign of weakness. A sign of being human. Plus, Angel had already been harmed once because of Alastor’s emotions.

If he hadn’t danced with the other, Valentino wouldn’t have gotten so angry in the first place. 

Alastor should’ve known. He should’ve known that getting too close to someone else would be dangerous. But he ignored it.

He ignored the way his craved the others touch and attention, the way he worried for him, the way he kept coming back...He ignored it all just because it felt nice to let his walls down just a little bit.

And now Angel has paid the price for his ignorance.

This way would be better for everyone. 

-

A day or two later of bed rest, and Angel’s wound had fully healed! It was a much less painful process thanks to Alastor’s magic, which Angel was grateful for.

His first day back at work had been great, Valentino hadn’t booked him any clients, and only made him film the soft core stuff. 

Angel had barely even seen his pimp when he returned, although he did find a post it note on his vanity telling him that Valentino wanted to speak with him tomorrow. So he was a bit excited and worried at the same time for that.

Angel was just glad he could finally move past the incident, and things could go back to normal.

The spider entered the hotel thirty minutes early, he was certain that Alastor would make some comment about how he was ‘finally making an effort’ or something like that. As he began to think up what he could respond with, he realized something was very off.

He smelt nothing. Not pizza, not meatloaf, not even those beignet things.

The spider calmed his nerves, maybe Alastor hadn’t started cooking yet. Maybe Alastor didn’t feel like cooking tonight. That was okay- as long as he got to speak with the deer he’d be fine.

The two hadn’t spoken since Angel woke up about two days ago, but he didn’t think anything of it. He just chalked it up to Alastor being busy.

As he rounded the corner, he saw none other than Husk sitting at the bar, downing a bottle.

The cat sat a little bit straighter once he saw Angel, as he reached for a clipboard and began to sign his signature and the time, which would signify to Charlie that Angel made it back before curfew.

Angel was taken aback for a moment, although he tried not to let it show. He didn’t want to lose the little bit of dignity he still had.

“Hey Husky baby~ ya taking over for Bambi tonight? I bet he warned ya how much of a handful I can be.”

Husk simply rolled his eyes, he was immune to Angel’s flirts and suggestive tone at this point.

“Yeah, that’s actually what Alastor wanted me to talk with you about.”

Angel’s brows knotted in confusion,”Why can’t he just tell me himself?”

“Alastor doesn’t really have the time anymore to wait up for you, since he still has a hotel and radio tower to run. So I’m gonna be taki-,” Husk was cut off as he began to go into a fit of nasty coughs,”I’m gonna be taking over for him.”

Angel’s eyes flashed with concern over the loud and sudden coughs, but Husk seemed to be fine, so he didn’t think much of it.

“Oh...” The spider’s smile fell for a moment.

He knew they weren’t besties or anything- but he liked those late night talks with the radio demon. They were always something he looked forward too, even if he was having the shittiest day at work- it still put him at ease knowing he had a fresh meal and a somewhat friend waiting back at the hotel for him.

Husk noticed the sudden dip in the other’s emotions, a sudden rush of sympathy coming over him.

“Hey, don’t be upset over it kid. This is for the better, Alastor is a heartless motherfucker. He would’ve just gotten rid of you when there was nothing else he could get from you anyways. This is a blessing in disguise, really.”

“Yeah, I guess yer right...Well, I’ll just head up ta my room now. Unless ya’d like to join me?” Angel winked at the end, although this flirt lacked any enthusiasm behind it. It just came out flat.

“Go fuck yourself,” Husk winced after he remembered the first words they shared,”And before you ask- NO! I don’t want to watch.”

Angel faked a laugh, before turning around and heading towards his room.

Once Angel had went upstairs, Alastor emerged from the shadows. 

“Thank you for doing that for me Husker.”

“Yeah, yeah- why couldn’t you do that yourself anyways? What’s the point of dragging me into this shit show?”

“I...,” I simply couldn’t go through with it myself, he thought as he remembered the pained look on the white fluffy demon’s face.

“I simply think it might hurt less for our first patron if it came from you.”

Husk slightly frowned as he thought of Angel’s saddened expression, a hollow feeling began to form in his chest,”You shouldn’t even be pushing the kid away in the first place. It’s obvious you enjoy speaking to him, and he likes speaking to you too. What’s the problem?”

“The problem is that Angel has already gotten hurt once from Valentino because of me. I simply just want to ensure the poster child for this establishment doesn’t die.”

“I think you’re lying.”

“Excuse me?”

“No- in fact I know you’re lying. You’re pushing the kid away because you’re scared.”

“Me? Scared? That’s really funny dear. I’m the one who MAKES others scared.”

“Cut the bull shit- you’re scared because you care for Angel.”

Alastor bristled, as the static around him grew louder, and his eyes turned into radio dials. How dare Husk ever say such a thing.

Whether it was true or not, it was not his place to question the overlord’s motives. 

“Husker, I don’t appreciate you insinuating tha-“

“No, shut the fuck up ‘Bambi’ ,” Husk mocked as he jabbed his finger at the other’s chest.

“Stop lying to me, and yourself. Cause I can see right through it. And you know what? I’m not gonna sit here and be quiet while you hurt that fucking kid- he doesn’t deserve that. The way you’re trying to do things will only end with you both being miserable pieces of shit. So I’m gonna tell you the truth this one time- and if you don’t listen? Then don’t come crying back to me when everything backfires.”

“You’re not pushing him away because of Victor or whatever his name was- you’re pushing him away cause you’re scared of getting too close. Because, the supposed heartless radio demon, has a shred of humanity left. And that? That scares the Hell out of you.”

Alastor stared at the cat for a moment, not knowing how to respond to his outburst. The static died down as his eyes returned to normal, and he regained his regular composure.

“Husker my old friend, get some sleep why don’t you? I believe you’ve had one too many drinks tonight. And you should also get that cough checked out.”

With that, the deer swiftly exited the lobby, trying his hardest to ignore the screaming traitorous thoughts in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Song used in this chap)
> 
> You Belong To Me- Cat Pierce 
> 
> Also, I’m currently working on ANOTHER radiodust fanfiction. (There will be other minor ships too such as Chaggie, Cherri x Molly, Pentniss, and maybe Husk x Niffty- I’m not sure about that one just yet.) Basically it’s gonna be a really big project, and I’m not sure I want to do it alone because I really want to be able to write it well. So, if anyone’s interested in being a beta, please DM me at n3ptune.mp3 on Instagram, and I’ll explain the plot to you. Then you can decide whether or not you’d like to help.
> 
> Anyways, sorry for that long rant thing. And don’t worry, I WILL still be continuing this too. I would never leave you guys hanging by posting 4 chapters and then just dipping. 
> 
> Also, if anyone would like to beta read this story feel free to DM me about that too.


	5. Ch 5. A Guilty Fool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angel Dusts pops the big question, Niffty and Husk have had it up to here with Alastor’s mind games, and Alastor decides he needs to take more drastic measures to keep Angel away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: manipulation, other than that- this chapter is pretty calm compared to the others
> 
> This is the first chapter where I had someone else’s help- and I’m so grateful for my beta, phoenixbirdstar. 
> 
> Please go check them out!! They’re so creative and talented!! 
> 
> Also their AO3 account is BirdstarOfSkyclan
> 
> Also, bit of an update on my next radiodust fanfic that I talked about in the last chapter: I’ve started the first draft of the outline, and I have figured out the basic plot. It will be based off of an old radiodust fanfic that sadly the original creator discontinued. (They gave me permission to use their idea btw.) And that’s about all the spoilers I’m gonna give out today ;)

Angel paced around his room, while Fat Nuggets watched from his little bed in confusion. The pig had no idea why his daddy was acting so anxious.

Suddenly, Angel’s phone chimed. The spider practically ran towards it and snatched it up as his eyes quickly scanned over the new message. 

_ Val: Hey baby, tomorrow night I’m giving you the day off, and I’m taking you out.  _

_ Angel: K Boss. _

_ Val: I’m sorry again sugar for hurting you, I went too far. _

_ Angel: It’s alright daddy, see u 2morrow _

Angel sighed as he plopped down on his bed, throwing his phone to the side.

His stomach was in knots because of the stress he was under. He hadn’t seen Val since the incident...would Val still be upset at him for betraying him like he did? 

Angel shuddered at the thought, he hoped Vee would have mercy on him for his mistake...

And then there was Al... Angel knew he should let it go. The rational part of him was screaming it, in fact. 

His instincts were telling him that Husk was right- that he should just turn his back on his weird almost- friendship with the radio demon, and never look back.

But he just couldn’t do it. Not after everything they’ve been through... Sure, they had a little fight, but everyone fought sometimes.

Surely Husk was just being over dramatic. Once Alastor got more free time, the two would be able to hang out again...

Right?

-

Alastor rapped his knuckles against the railing, as Niffty mopped the floors.

The bug knew Alastor wanted to talk about something, but he was always weird about this sort of thing. He’d never outright say what he was thinking, no no no- he had to be stubborn about it. He would always wait for someone else to bring it up.

After a few moments of the annoying rapping sound, Niffty got tired of it, caving into the deer’s weird antics.

“Is something wrong?” She asked, as she set the small mop (a normal sized one would topple over the tiny demon) against the wall.

“I wouldn’t want to bother you with my problems.”

Niffty stayed silent, waiting for him to continue. He always did stuff like this.

“Alright, well if you insist-“

Niffy mentally rolled her eye. 

“I have this close friend of mine who is in a bit of a pickle.”

“Mhmm, I’m listening.”

“He’s a weaker demon actually- so of course he fell into an emotional trap for this other demon named Ang- Antonio.”

Niffy knew Alastor was really talking about himself, but she didn’t mention it. She knew if she let on that she’d seen through the deer’s lies, he’d throw a major hissy fit and get super defensive. Overlords were always such divas...

“My friend is scared of these emotions, so he’s keeping his distance away from Antonio. Although, because of this- and also because he’s a lower class demon unlike me, he misses Antonio so much to the point where he can hardly think about anything else...what do you think my friend should do? Usually I’m fantastic at giving advice, but since I’ve never faced such a trivial problem, I have no idea.”

“Well- if your friend misses this Antonio, he should go visit him. Maybe Antonio misses him too.”

“You’re right Niffty.”

“Mhmm, so go and tell your friend that he sho-“

“My friend needs to stay far far away from Antonio. Feelings will only slow them both down. Thank you Niffty, you’ve been a great help!”

With that, Alastor walked away, leaving a very annoyed Niffty behind to exasperatedly roll her eye at the deer’s retreating back.

“Well, I guess he’ll have to just figure it out on his own...,” she grumbled, as she grabbed her mop and continued on with her work.

-

“I just- I don’t know what his deal is!” 

“Angel, are you sure Alastor is purposely avoiding you? Maybe he’s just been busy,” Charlie suggested.

“I thought that too at first- but get this, every time I enter the room, he leaves! Even if he’s in the middle of a conversation with somebody!”

Charlie chewed on the end of her pen as she thought, she always tries to help Angel get into a more positive mindset during these therapy sessions, but even she was stuck. There was no other way around it, Angel was being avoided.

“Why do you think Alastor is avoiding you?”

“I have no idea- things were going so well. We even danced together at the ball.”

Charlie tensed at the mention of that night, memories flooding back in of Angel bleeding out as she scre-

No, no, no. Charlie mentally scolded herself. Now wasn’t the time for this. Angel wanted to move on from that night- and she needed to allow him to. Her own stupid feelings couldn’t get in the way of that.

“Maybe you should try and talk to him- catch him at a time where he can’t leave. Maybe you accidentally did something that hurt him- and you didn’t even know it.”

Maybe Angel had gone too far during that fight after all, he considered. He really didn’t mean to- he just was so angry at the time...

“I’ll try.”

-

Angel’s lower set of arms fidgeted under the table nervously, as he averted his gaze down at the table.

“Angie, I’m really sorry if you felt as if I was purposely trying to hurt you...You know I would never do that, right?”

“Yes daddy.”

“Hey, look at me.”

Angel did as he was told, looking up into Valentino’s eyes.

“You know you’re my everything, right?”

“Yes daddy.”

“Good boy.”

With that, Valentino looked back at his menu as he scanned over the options. Angel did the same, yet he was practically shaking because of his nerves. He tried not to let it show though- he didn’t want to annoy Valentino.

Angel took a deep breath- there was something he needed to get off his chest, and he knew he should just get it over with. 

“Vee, I’ve been thinking recently...well, I’ve been thinking about...us...”

“What do you mean?” Valentino looked up from the menu and cocked his head in confusion.

“What are we? I mean- are we dating or are we just friends? It’s just- we never made it official, ya know?”

Valentino nodded,”Well- if you want to put a label on it, I’m fine with that baby.”

He gently placed his hand on top of Angel’s thigh,”So- if you’re asking if you can be my bitch, then the answer is yes Angelcakes. You can be my bitch until the end of time.”

Angel smiled as his heart did flips in his chest. 

-

“Hello Husker, do you happen to know where Angel is? I noticed he left earlier than he usually does for work.”

“Yeah, cause he didn’t go to work. He’s on a date with that bug guy.”

“Valentino?” Alastor’s grip on his cane tightened.

“Yeah, him.”

The two went silent, Husk could tell Alastor was upset just at the mention of the purple overlord.

“You know Angel’s just gonna keep tryna speak with you, right? He’s one stubborn motherfucker, and he’s not gonna stop talking to you just ‘cause I said he should.”

“Yes, I do think you have a point...well, I guess that means I just need to take more drastic measures to keep him away.”

“Do you really think that’s a good idea?”

“Why, of course I do,” Alastor lied.

The truth was, he was not sure about any of this, but he knew it had to be done. Maybe Angel just needed a more blunt reason to stay away from him.

-

Angel returned to the hotel right on time, he was practically jumping around the place from his excitement and pure glee.

“Hello Angel- you seem to be in a good mood,” Charlie greeted.

“I am! Oh my God Chacha- tonight was so perfect!” Angel squealed like a little school girl as he plopped down on the couch.

“What happened?” Charlie asked, she was fairly curious what got her first patron this happy.

“Me and Vee are official- like, official official! Ya know- like, boyfriend and boyfriend. Can ya believe it?”

Charlie’s face deflated,”oh...wow, no- I, I can’t believe it.”

The princess tried to seem excited, although it was hard to when she was so worried about her friend. She knew Valentino was an asshole, and after the stunt he pulled- she didn’t want Angel anywhere near him.

But she also knew that there was nothing she could do. Angel told her about the soul contract, so even if he wanted to leave he couldn’t. Plus, she knew that her telling him to leave Valentino wouldn’t help either.

Angel would feel like she was judging him if she tried to order him around, and he needed to come this conclusion on his own. All Charlie could do for her friend was be there for him, so that’s what she did.

“I’m so happy for you Angel,” she lied as she plastered a big fake smile upon her face.

“Just be careful, alright?” 

“Yeah, yeah- don’t worry toots. Anyways, I’m gonna go to bed. See ya!”

-

“Hiya Al.”

Alastor winced at the sudden sound, he knew that voice...

There was no way for him to get out of this, Angel had him cornered. Well, he might as well just get this out of the way now.

He turned around to face Angel,”Why hello dear, is there anything I can help you with?”

“Ya- why the fuck have ya been avoiding me?” Angel questioned.

Alastor tore his gaze away from Angel’s intense one, he couldn’t bring himself to look into Angel’s eyes knowing what he was about to say next...

“Well I’ve simply gotten bored of you Angel. I only offered my time to Charlotte so that way I could get to know the one and only Angel Dust. You were an entertaining little mystery for me- since I was so confused about whether or not you had any extra layers.”

“But- I was wrong. Everyone was right about you, I have come to the conclusion that you are nothing more than a whore. Really, it was quite disappointing, but the mystery is over dear. You can’t provide me with any more entertainment. Therefore, you serve no purpose in my life. You are useless.”

Tears welled up in Angel’s eyes, but he angrily swiped them away.

“So that’s it? That’s what this whole thing was about? Ya just wanted ta use me for yer sick little entertainment games?”

“Yes dear. Now, I better get going, I have some business to attend to.”

“Ya know what- no. I’m NOT going to let ya just walk away so easily. We could’ve been real good fucking friends- we could’ve had something special. But you threw that all away because yer a selfish asshole!”

“I- I hope ya lay awake at night thinking about what ya lost. Thinking about what we could’ve had. I hope ya regret this just as much as I regret ever talking ta ya in the first place.”

“Ya treated me like a toy, and ta that I say- fuck ya Al.”

Angel flipped off Alastor, before turning around and hurrying away.

Alastor’s heart thumped in his chest, while his ears recoiled. 

Angel’s words played over and over in his head like a broken record. 

_ “I’m a fool to want you,” _ Alastor left the lobby, and headed towards his radio tower.

Pentagram City was quiet that night, most demons either passed out at bars or making shady deals in alleys.

_ “Pity me, I need you.” _

Alastor couldn’t get the look of Angel’s hurt face out of his head- it felt like an anvil had dropped out of the sky and landed on -top of him.

_ “I know it’s wrong.” _

His voice was low, and he sang every word slowly and carefully, as if they were a fragile glass figure held between slender fingers.

_ “It must be wrong.” _

And, although his smile stayed on his face- it was smaller than usual. Alastor found it difficult to keep it up after everything.

He wished he didn’t care. He wished that the sight of Angel’s heartbroken face didn’t make him upset. He wished he hadn’t allowed himself to be put into this position in the first place.

He hated himself for making Angel upset, and for the first time in a long time, he felt guilt. He hadn’t experienced it in so long, but it hurt like a son of a (excuse his foul language) bitch. 

Had he done the right thing? Did he go too far?

He didn’t know.

_ “But right or wrong, I can’t get along,” _

_ ‘But you threw that all away because yer a selfish asshole!’ _

_ “Without you.” _

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs used in this chapter:  
> I’m a fool to want you-Frank Sinatra (I feel like I botched his name, lmao srry if I did)


	6. Ch 6. Old Habits Die Hard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alastor goes to Charlie for advice. Vaggie meets up with an old friend. Valentino learn’s Angel’s secret, and Angel resorts back to old habits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: physical abuse and manipulation  
> I’m honestly sorta happy with how this chapter turned out, and I hope you guys enjoyed it as well!
> 
> Also, please read the end notes for a sorta big announcement!
> 
> Also please give some love to my wonderful beta, BirdstarOfSkyclan!

“Hello Charlotte, do you mind if we speak for a moment? I have some things on my mind.”

Charlie looked up from her paperwork, as she set her reading glasses to the side. Alastor had never come to her for anything before, so she knew this must be important to him.

“Of course, what is it?” 

“Well um...my frien-,” Alastor stopped himself mid sentence. Angel’s hurt expression from the last time they spoke was still engraved in his mind, and the guilt still ate at him from the inside...

No, no more taking the cowards way out. He was going to be at least partly truthful. He owed Angel that much at least.

“I have a bit of an issue.”

“Here, sit, tell me more about your issue,” Charlie’s face softened as she motioned towards the empty leather chair in front of her.

Alastor did as he was told,”I...I don’t know if I did the right thing.”

Charlie nodded as she listened carefully,”Go on.”

“I...I’ve been feeling some very...confusing urges.”

“What type of urges?”

“When I’m near a certain demon I- well, I feel things I haven’t felt in decades. They make me feel so...well, like I’m on a cloud. And when they get hurt I- I get so incredibly angry. All I want is to keep them safe...”

A lump formed in his throat, he was getting too close to the truth, he needed to dial it back.

“So, I pushed them away. I told myself and everyone else that I did it to protect them, but that’s a lie.”

Despite Alastor’s initial reaction to Husk’s outburst, he did take the other’s warnings seriously.

Husk’s words had been living in his head for so long- that at this point they might as well pay rent.

“I did it because I’m...I’m scared. I’m scared because I care for this demon.”

“You act like that’s a bad thing.”

“It is. I’m the radio demon! I- I shouldn’t be scared of anything! And certainly not of something so human like feelings...Feelings are a sign of weakness. A sign of humanity. A sign that I...That I’m just as bad as all of the low life demons that I so despise.” 

Alastor wasn’t supposed to have any weaknesses, he was supposed to exploit others weaknesses. He was supposed to be better than this! A symbol of complete and utter control- someone to be respected and feared… worshipped, even.

“Feelings make those infected by it irrational, stupid, and an easy target for demons like myself to exploit. I am above them.”

“Why is that?”

Alastor looked up at the princess with a confused expression,”What?”

“Why are you above feelings, Alastor?” Charlie specified.

“I’m THE radio demon! I’m an overlord, a cold blooded heartless serial killer, a cannibal! Demons won’t even look me in the eye without shaking in fear. I should be immune to feelings.”

“Well, then wouldn’t that make this demon that you care for below you?”

“No, of course not. They...they’re…”  _ Magnificent _ .

“Why not? You just told me that you’re above feelings. And for you to have pushed them away in the first place- they must’ve cared for you as well. That means that they’re below you. Is that right?”

Angel being below Alastor? That idea was preposterous. At first Alastor might have thought as such, but certainly not now. 

But, Charlie did make a good point. Angel obviously does indulge in human-like emotions…

“That must be the problem then. I’ve been seeing them as an equal- perhaps I need to re evaluate how I perceive everyone. See them as what they are- a demon beneath me.”

“Then I guess you found your solution Alastor.”

“I...I guess I have.”

Alastor waited for Charlie to chime in and tell him that his answer was wrong, he wanted her to tell him that he couldn’t do that.

No, he could never see Angel as a lowlife demon. It was a horrible thought to even think about. Although the other didn’t have as much power and influence that Alastor did, it didn’t really matter.

He made up for it with his determination and skill. Angel used the fact that others underestimated him to his advantage in fights. He was quick, and smart as well. That much was very clear from the news footage he saw.

It wasn’t even about how he held up in a fight either- Alastor realized he just had respect for him. 

He didn’t know why, didn’t even know how. All he knew was that Angel was an equal to him.

Alastor waited for Charlie to tell him that though, since he didn’t want to admit it.

But, Charlie stayed silent.

The red deer got up from the chair, and headed towards the door, trying to call Charlie’s bluff. It was like a game of chicken...Both were just trying to see who would admit that Alastor’s solution was terrible first.

Alastor grunted in defeat when Charlie continued to stay silent, as he turned back around to face her,”I can’t do it. And I don’t know why.”

“Alastor, life is all about change. You thought that you were above everyone- but now your perception is different. You thought you could never care for another- and now you do.”

“I want it to stop though.”

“I understand- but pushing away this demon won’t help. Have you ever considered that maybe you’ve had feelings this whole time?”

“That’s an absurd idea.”

“What about Husk? And Niffty?”

“What do they have to do with this?”

“Tell me how you feel about them.”

“Well, I do trust them both. Not with everything- but a fair amount. I like talking with them when I’ve had a long day. I like it when Niffty lights up when she’s talking about something. When I hear one of Husk’s genuine laughs. I-“

Alastor stopped mid sentence.

“I care for them as well, don’t I?”

“What do you think?”

“I- I do. I treasure them both as dear friends. But that doesn’t make any sense- the things I feel for An-, I mean the other demon seems to be much different than what I feel for Husk and Niffty...why is that?”

“Only you can answer that, Alastor.”

Alastor sighed in annoyance,”Why must everything be so difficult…”

“Feelings aren’t bad, Alastor. And I believe you’ve had them for a long time now, they just weren’t drastic enough for you to notice. Feelings are normal and healthy. And if you care for this demon, then you shouldn’t push them away.”

Alastor looked down at his lap. Was Charlie right? Niffty? Husk?

He didn’t know. He didn’t know what to believe anymore. He wished he didn’t care, he wished things could go back to normal, back to the time when things were so easy. So simple.

_ ‘But were you happy then?’ _

The question startled him. 

But...  _ was _ he happy before? Sure, he did smile all the time- but not because he was happy. He smiled because it was a sign of power. 

He spent his time alone, sure. He talked to Husk and Niffty, but never about anything personal. The conversation was always kept on silly things, small talk and the like. None of them exactly wanted to open the doorway to less favorable conversation topics.

That was his life for a long time, nothing really mattered. He was simply just floating through on auto pilot. 

Alastor felt as if his life was a game, and he had already completed all the levels. 

Nothing was a challenge anymore- nothing was exciting him. Everything just became so bland and boring.

He had made it- he had gotten everything he always had wanted. He was one of the most feared overlords in Hell, his broadcasts were very successful, he was rich and had all the material possessions he could ever desire...

This was the point where the game was supposed to end. Where the credits rolled and the curtain dropped. Where you went ‘well, I completed everything- it’s time to start over with a brand new game.’ 

Alastor had desperately been looking for his ‘new game’ yet he never succeeded.

He simply thought that maybe this was his punishment. His own personal slice of Hell. He was destined to be trapped in his own success, to always be bored and unhappy.

He had it all, which meant he had nothing.

Until he started talking with Angel.

Life gained some sort of meaning- he felt excited even. He looked forward to spending time with the other.

He wanted to talk with him. He craved his touch. He wanted to just hear him talk- about anything really. Angel put him on edge, made him want more.

Every moment with Angel was a moment Alastor couldn’t predict what happened next. Angel was just so- so lively. 

But it wasn’t even that Angel was exciting. No, Alastor would even go as far to say that he was endearing. 

Everything he did was beautiful. The way he cooled down his food while looking like a pufferfish. His voice. His weird obsession with the color pink and tomatoes...Alastor even grew to like Angel’s snarky and sexual comments.

Angel wasn’t Alastor’s ‘new game’ as he had put it...No, no, no. He was more.

More than what everyone thought he was. More than what even Angel himself thought he was.

On the outside Angel seemed to only be a whore. But underneath- there was so much more. A boy with big dreams. A boy with a silver tongue. A boy that cared so deeply for others- even if he didn’t show it. A boy that was talented. Angel Dust was all those things- and more.

He was happy with Angel.

The radio demon was happy with Angel Dust. 

“Charlotte, I- thank you for this talk. I believe I need to do some more thinking about this subject.”

-

Vaggie put on a dark black hoodie, she didn’t want to be seen doing this...

She silenced her phone, and slid out the hotel’s back door. She kept her hood up as she looked down at the sidewalk, trying to keep her face hidden.

Vaggie didn’t know what she would do if word got back to Charlie about her whereabouts...

The moth slipped into a back alley, barely spotting the person she was supposed to be meeting, hidden in the shadows. He was basically invisible- unless you were already looking for him. Which, Vaggie was. 

She was unsure if this was a good thing or not. For a moment she pondered just walking along, to pretend that she didn’t see him there. To pretend that she was just who she told everyone she was...Vaggie, a moth demon who was helping her girlfriend with the Happy Hotel out of the kindness of her heart, and nothing more.

But, that would be a lie.

“I’ve been calling you,” the figure gruffed, his face was completely hidden, his outline being the only thing distinguishable in the shadows.

“What- no ‘Hey, Vaggie’ or ‘Nice to see you, how you’ve been’?” Vaggie said in a light hearted tone, hiding her nervousness behind a thin and near worthless veil of sarcasm. 

“Cut the crap. You’ve been shrinking back on your duties. You haven’t been giving me weekly reports, you haven’t been calling- you don’t even leave the hotel anymore.”

Vaggie was taken aback with this new information. He’s been spying on her, how else would he know she hadn’t left the hotel in the past few weeks?

“So you’ve been watching me now?”

“What else was I supposed to do? I hadn’t heard from you in weeks, and I needed to make sure you weren’t dead.”

“Well I’m here now and very much alive- so what do you want me to say? There’s nothing interesting about the hotel. Therefore, nothing to report dickwad. You should just move on to somewhere else.”

“I didn’t call you here for some late and shitty report.”

“Then why? What’s so important that you had to waste my time? You could’ve blown my cover.”

“I’m here to relieve you of your duties. You’re free to leave.”

Vaggie’s face fell, “What?”

“Go home, Vagatha.”

“Bu- but what about the plan? The mission?”

“We’ve come up with a new one, it’s already been set into motion.”

“WHAT?! Why haven’t you told me- you weren’t supposed to do anything unless I said so!”

The man shoved Vaggie against the brick wall. His large hands squeezed her neck tightly, as if she were an almost empty toothpaste bottle, and he was just trying to squeeze out the very last bit.

Now that his face was in the light, Vaggie could make out all of his features. 

His skin was a nice tan color. His hair was curly and chestnut brown, and he had a beard and mustache to match with his ‘rugged, manly’ look.

The man’s hands were large too- as well as his bushy eyebrows. He wasn’t super muscular, but he did have defined arms and legs.

If Vaggie wasn’t a lesbian, she would’ve thought he was beautiful even. A bit basic though. 

“Don’t forget your place bitch. You were created from MY rib, I own you. Don’t you dare EVER raise your voice at me again.”

“I- I...I promise-,” Vaggie said in between gasps as she struggled for air.

The man let her drop to the ground, as he turned his back on her.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you care for these demons.”

Vaggie didn’t answer, as she continued to cough and gasp weakly on the ground.

“Don’t think we don’t know about your sinful little relationship with the princess. You’ve been avoiding me because you’re trying to protect these scum.” The words were spat with all the hatred and disgust one being could hold, and though Vaggie couldn’t see his face, she knew it had curled into a sneer before he could compose himself.

He turned around and kneeled down next to Vaggie, speaking patronizingly with a smile as he tilted her head towards his,”Well, I want you to know that your efforts failed. Soon- almost every demon in Hell will be dead, and the chance of your little girlfriend surviving is slim.”

With that, the man got up and walked away, his large white wings tucked behind him.

-

Angel walked towards the studio with a pep in his step, his smile much wider than usual. Some demons may say that he was trying to compensate for how shitty he felt after his talk with Al with an overly cheerful mood.

Angel’s response to those demons would be to shoot them in their fucking faces.

Although, the moment he walked into his dressing room- visible fear and dread came over his facial features.

Valentino sat on his pink sofa with a large scowl upon his face, as his cold gaze landed on top of the demon in front of him.

The periwinkle demon squinted his eyes at Angel, like a predator watching their prey. Angel knew that Valentino was upset.

When you worked with Valentino- it was important you memorized all of his facial expressions and their meanings. Every slight movement and gesture...everything. It was very much life or death. Well, double death or death might be the more correct term.

Valentino was pissed, and Valentino was scary when he was pissed. You didn’t want to be around Valentino when he was this upset.

As alarm bells blared in Angel’s head, he swallowed the lump that was beginning to form in his throat as he tried to string together a proper sentence.

He had to say something- anything, to calm down the other before things got ugly...

“Daddy, what’s wrong?” 

Angel’s question only made Valentino even angrier. How DARE he ask what’s wrong- how DARE he patronize him like this! 

Valentino got up from his spot and backhanded Angel, leaving a bright red mark on his cheek.

“I found your stash you little whore. You’ve been lying to me!” Valentino yanked open the drawer to Angel’s vanity, and revealed his stash of unopened bags of angel dust.

Angel’s eyes widened in shock. He had forgotten about his secret little stash, he was just so caught up with his new relationship that it had slipped his mind...

“Val just let me explain please, I- I’ve just been trying ta go clean, alright?”

“Why? Do you think the studio isn’t good enough for you anymore? Do you think  _ I’M _ not good enough for you anymore?!”

“No no- I just...I-“

Valentino snapped his fingers loudly, as he cut Angel off,”I think- that you’re trying to mimic me. What- you think that you’re good enough to call the shots now? Do you think  _ YOU’RE _ the boss, princess?!”

“No! It’s, well, I feel so much more...like my old self when I’m off it.”

“Did you forget  _ WHY _ you even started in the first place?”

Angel winced, the painful memories came rushing back just at the mention of them...

_ No, no, no- don’t go back there. Not now, _ Angel scolded himself. He wasn’t Anthony anymore- he was Angel Dust.

“I just...I thought this time, things could be different,” Angel muttered as he looked down at the floor.

Valentino shook his head as his angry expression softened to one of pity, _ ”I’m a dragon, you’re a whore, don’t even know what you’re good for.” _

_ “Mimicking me is a fucking bore...” _

Valentino took a step towards the spider, as he gently traced Angel’s jaw, _ “to me.” _

_ “But babe, lay me down tonight.” _

Valentino grabbed onto Angel’s chin as he jerked his head upwards to face him.

“ _ In my diamonds and pearls _ .”

His top free hand snaked around Angel’s waist as he pushed his body up against the other’s.

“ _ Tell me something nice, about your favorite boy _ .”

Valentino released the other from his grip, pushing him away as he walked towards the vanity. He reached into the open drawer, and grabbed one of the previously discarded baggies. 

In one fluid motion, he turned around and pinned Angel down onto the pink sofa. Angel tensed at the sudden movements, but relaxed under Valentino’s soft, but firm hold.

“ _ I fucked my way up to the top _ .”

“ _ This is my show, _ ” Valentino sang in a whiny and demanding voice.

“ _ I fucked my way up to the top _ ,” Valentino’s hand trailed down Angel’s slim figure, it lingered around the spider’s black shorts.

“ _ Go baby, go _ .”

He fumbled with it as he tried to slide them off, it was hard since he only was using one hand to do so. The other still held the drugs, while the bottom set held Angel down. 

“ _ Go. Go. Go. Go. Go. _ ”

Valentino planted a few rough and hurried kisses onto Angel’s lips. Once he departed, Angel looked up at the other with wide eyes as he breathed heavily.

“ _ This is my show _ ,” he finished quietly.

The words seemed to float around in the thick air, almost if they were in a cave, and they could still hear the echoes.

Despite it being told in a soft tone, Angel knew what it really was. It was a warning.

“Angie baby- I just don’t want you to get your hopes up. You know I’m just looking out for you, right?”

“Yes daddy.”

“You’ll never amount to anything more than a whore, stop trying to fight it- embrace what you are, and what you’ll always be. Angel Dust the prostitute and pornstar.”

Angel tore his gaze away from the bug on top of him, and looked over towards his vanity, Charlie’s words echoed in his head...

_ ‘There’s a lot more to you than what you think there is Angel!’ _

Valentino sighed,”I guess it’s your choice baby...I can’t force you to accept it, but I do hope you make the right choice. For me, and for yourself.”

Valentino tore open the top of the plastic bag, and dangled it above Angel’s head.

Angel hesitated, before he grabbed the opened bag of PCP. 

“I’m Angel fucking Dust. And I’m Hell’s best prostitute and pornstar, and I belong to my pimp- Val. That’s all I’ll ever be,” Angel announced to no one in particular, the only ones around to hear being those who already knew. 

“Good boy. Now, lets not let this night go to waste~“

Angel felt as if Charlie was in the same room somehow, staring at him from afar with a worried look. Silently begging him not to do it...

She would tell him how he was so much better than this, she’d tell him not to throw away all the progress he’s made...

Angel poured the entire bag of PCP down his throat. 

“Old habits die hard, princess,” he whispered softly.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song used in this chap:  
> Fucked my way up to the top- Lana Del Ray 
> 
> As for the announcement- I’ve decided to start doing a sort of ‘QNA’ with the characters from this fic every once in a while! Basically you guys just comment questions for each of the characters, and then in the next chapter they’ll answer them. 
> 
> I thought this would be a fun way to sorta lighten up the story since it’s getting pretty dark right now.
> 
> Anyways, the characters you can ask questions are: Angel, Alastor, Charlie, Vaggie, Husk, Niffty, and me! (The author) 
> 
> Make sure to specify which question is for who btw. 
> 
> Anyways, see you guys in the next chapter where we’ll answer some of your questions!


	7. ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS #1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angel, Alastor, Husk, Niffty, Charlie, Vaggie, and the author all answer some of YOUR questions in this fun little QNA! Will things go smoothly between Angel and Alastor after their friendship-breakup? Why am I even asking- of course it won't!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a bit silly, but I think that just adds to the charm of it. as you can probably tell, I had a lot of fun writing it.

Angel had no idea where he was. One moment he was at the studio, the next all he could see was white...had he been exterminated? No, that didn’t make sense...Angel knew it hadn’t been extermination day.

The spider blinked a few times as he got a better look at his surroundings. He realized he was sitting on a striped couch, which was a mixture of pinks and oranges. 

Although the weirdest part about all of this was that everything was white...not just that the walls were, no- EVERYTHING was white. As far as he could tell, there weren’t ANY walls in the room he was in.

It seemed to stretch on forever and ever...

Angel looked towards his right side, and was surprised to see Charlie, Vaggie, Alastor, Husk, and Niffty all on the same couch (which seemed to be three times the length of a regular couch, since it was able to fit all of them...how convenient) with him. Each of them looked just as confused as he did at the sudden change in their surroundings.

“Hello! Glad to see you’re all here! I mean, well- I didn’t really give you a choice in the matter, but still! It makes me happy you all showed up,” a cheerful and feminine voice suddenly cut through the awkward silence. 

All of the confused demons looked over to the source of the new and unfamiliar voice, surprised to see it came from a human girl. 

“Who the Hell are ya?” Angel spat, wondering how a human found their way into Hell...

“I’m the author of course! Wait- no, that’s not a very good explanation, is it? You have no idea about how your existences are only real in people’s imaginations...Wait, probably shouldn’t have said that either. Sorry, was never good at explaining things,” the so-called author shrugged.

Charlie gulped, trying to clear the tension in the air,”Well- it’s nice to meet you...author. Do you know why we’re here? Or even where here is? I think we’re all a bit lost.”

“Oh no, you’re not lost! I brought you here.”

“You kidnapped us?” Vaggie asked, as her brow raised in suspicion.

She scooted a little bit closer to Charlie subconsciously.

“No, no, no! I simply wrote that you were in this room, and well, here you are.”

“You ‘wrote’ us in here? Dear, I believe that’s just a more polite way to say kidnapping. After all, none of us consented to be put in this bland room,” Alastor spoke for the first time since finding himself in this strange room. 

The deer had tried to stay quiet- mostly in an attempt to assess this bizarre situation.

“It doesn’t matter how you got here- the point is that you’re here now, and we have some questions from our lovely readers to answer!”

“Lovely readers? Author? I’m sorry- but none of this makes any fucking sense,” Husk grumbled, as all of the other demons nodded and grunted in agreement.

“I guess I never did explain that, huh? Okay- so, basically, none of you are real. Your lives? I made them up. Wrote them, actually. I control what you do, what you say- what happens to you even. Well...I sorta control what you do and say,” the author explained.

“You...made us?” Alastor asked as he cocked his head in confusion, trying to wrap his head around the author’s words.

“Oh no! I wish I did...that was done by someone named Viv. I simply took you guys, and put you all in a new story, that I did in fact make.”

“So what you’re saying is, that we’re not even real in the world that we’re supposed to be real? Despite that original world- not even being real in the first place?” Vaggie asked.

“I guess you could say it like that...I like calling it fan fiction. It’s basically fiction about a fictional story.”

“And who are these ‘lovely readers’, exactly?” Alastor looked around the room. It was completely empty except for them, so he had no idea who the author was talking about. 

“Well- I post what I write about you guys online, and the readers are the people who… read it! It’s pretty self explanatory.” 

“So you have simply stolen us from another woman, made up your own plot, shoved us in it- and then proceeded to let others read our suffering for entertainment, yes?”

“No! Um...maybe...but the suffering isn’t the only entertainment! I make plenty of fluffy things happen too!”

“Still it...it’s an invasion of privacy,” Alastor huffed, not quite liking the idea of people using him for their own gain.

“Oh, so now that YOU’RE the one people are using for entertainment it's suddenly an ‘invasion of privacy’?” Vaggie sneered. 

Alastor glared at the moth, but didn’t say anything. She was right, after all. 

But, as you all know- Alastor hates to admit when he's wrong.

“I still don’t get it,” Niffty piped up.

“I’m too sober for this shit...” Husk complained, dragging a paw down his face with a grimace. 

“Look, I’m sure our readers are getting bored of this. Let’s just get into the questions they gave us- I can explain this more in depth later. Okay?” The author asked, a polite and small smile coming upon her face.

“What’s the point of even asking? It seems like yer just gonna make us do it anyways,” Angel rolled his eyes, he was not in the mood for any of this.

The author pretended not to hear the spider’s snarky comments, and turned on her phone, quickly pulling up the first question.

“The first one comes from im_more_gay_than_u.”

Angel scoffed,”Is that a challenge?”

“Angel, be nice,” the author scolded.

A small smirk grew on Angel’s face, he was glad to know he was somehow getting on this human’s nerves, as the author spoke once more,”(to the author) how do you choose the songs to put into the chapter?”

“That’s a great question! Honestly, I listen to a lot of music, and most of the songs used I already knew of. It was more so getting the story to fit with the songs, rather than finding songs to fit with the story...I guess you could say the songs I pick are a bit self indulgent, and less about the actual story…”

“That much is apparent, you’ve had me singing songs that aren’t even from my time period! I believe the two I’ve sung are both from the ‘50s, despite the fact I died in the ‘30s,” Alastor quipped.

Alastor really didn’t believe in any of this ‘author’ stuff, but he thought he’d play along for now. At the very least, he could get some entertainment out of it.

Alastor wanted to one-up this person anyways, no one uses HIM for entertainment and then gets away with it!

“Oh just you wait- you’re complaining now about your songs not fitting your time period? In a few chapters I’ll have you singing Melanie Martinez.”

“Who is that? I’ve never heard of her.”

Everyone else exchanged knowing looks, all of them kept up with modern music, even if they didn’t like it as much. So they all had heard at least one Melanie Martinez song, and they all knew it was far from anything Alastor would ever listen to.

To be honest, the author still didn’t know how she would explain that big, gaping plot hole, but she decided she would worry about it when the time comes.

“Why haven’t I been able to sing yet? That’s not fair!! You make me question my existence, and then I don’t even get my own musical number?” Niffty huffed, interrupting the awkward silence.

The author’s gaze softened at the cute and tiny bug demon,”I promise you’ll get your own song soon- I just haven’t found the right one yet.”

“You better,” Niffty spoke in a dark tone, as she threatened the author. 

The bubbly and adorable little demon seemingly replaced by a scary monster.

The author gulped nervously.

“I don’t mean to be ungrateful, I mean- it seems as if you did put me into this world, although I just think it’s a bit unrealistic for me to not have any musical numbers yet, when I’m Charlie Magne. My whole personality is rainbows, puppies, and most importantly- singing.” Charlie blurted out.

“Don’t worry Charlie, I already have some big things planned for you.”

“Wait, really?? What are they??” Charlie squealed excitedly as she leaned forward in anticipation.

The author couldn’t resist those wide eyes, and eventually caved in,”The only spoiler I’m giving out is Mean Girls.”

“Mean girls?” Charlie asked in confusion.

“Just wait, it’ll all make sense soon- I promise.”

“Can we just get ta the next question now?” Angel snapped impatiently.

“Talkin’ about singing ain’t really the most interesting thing ever, and I want ta get out of here.”

“That’s easy for you to say, you’ve sung the most out of all of us I think.” Vaggie rolled her eyes.

Angel glared at Vaggie, and the author quickly tried to change the topic before the two began to argue, ”The next question comes from minigma, and it’s for Angel.”

Angel perked up,”Finally.”

“If it’s alright- what's your fondest memory of Val?” 

Angel went silent as he thought, the mention of the bug made everyone else in the room dead silent.

It was clear that everyone except Angel hated Valentino. Even the author despised the pimp.

“Oh! I think it’s gotta be the time he gave me that necklace. It was just so thoughtful of him ta think about me, and I think it’s around that time when I started catching feelings for him, because I got ta see his more...kind side I guess.” 

The author looked as if she was about to say something, but stopped herself at the last moment.

“Let's move on to Birdy_f’s questions.”

“This one is for you, Vaggie. Do you love Charlie?”

Vaggie’s face grew red, as she looked down at her shoes nervously. 

Charlie smiled at her girlfriend’s flustered state, as she gently tucked her long gray hair behind her ear. The sudden contact just made Vaggie even more red.

“Yes. I- I-“

Vaggie looked up into Charlie’s eyes, a small and genuine smile coming upon her face,”I do love Charlie.”

Now, it was Charlie’s turn to be flustered, as she hid her red face in her hands.

Suddenly, a feeling of guilt came over Vaggie. Her once happy mood being instantly dampened as she struggled to keep the emotion from showing. 

“Get a room!” Angel exclaimed, cutting Vaggie out of her trance.

Before Vaggie could even get angry at Angel’s comment, the author continued on to the next question,”Alastor, what’s your favorite memory of hanging out with Angel Dust?”

A sudden tension filled the air as Angel avoided Alastor’s eye; Alastor did the same.

Angel still couldn’t get Alastor’s harsh words out of his head...

“He doesn’t have one,” Angel suddenly snapped, as he answered for the deer.

Alastor spared a glance over at the fluffy white demon, who still didn’t dare meet Alastor’s eyes. 

A heavy lump formed in Alastor’s throat, as he too began to feel guilty...There was so much he wanted to say, yet he didn’t even know where to start.

He didn’t even know if he wanted to start yet...He was still thinking over his conversation with Charlie, and had yet to come to a conclusion about what he was going to do about his feelings...

“Husk, Niffty, this one is for you guys. What’s your opinion about Alastor?” The author cut through the silence, wanting to move on from that awkward situation.

“I think he’s really nice and sweet when you get to know him! Sure, a bit dumb sometimes- but that’s okay! I still consider us to be besties!” Niffty piped up, before looking up over at Alastor.

“I’m your bestest bestie forever, right?” She asked, despite the cheery tone, it was obvious there was a bit of a warning in there. 

Alastor’s eyes softened, picking up on the subtle threat, but not being phased by it,”Yes dear, I have reserved the title ‘bestest bestie’ just for you.”

Friendship was becoming something Alastor was starting to accept, yet the question still lingered...why did he feel so differently around Angel then he did Husk and Niffty? 

He didn’t know, and he hated not knowing. 

“What about you Husk?” The author asked.

Husk shrugged,”He’s a dumbass. An idiot. A fucking lunatic. In deep denial. An asshole. A creep. And worst of all, he’s selfish. But...he ain’t half bad, I guess.”

Everyone knew that Husk did care very much for Alastor, and was only hard on the other for his own good. Not that the cat would ever admit it, though...

“Why Husker, that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

“And it’s the only thing you’ll ever get out of me, so enjoy it you twisted fucker.”

“Alright, next question is for Charlie- when did you realize Hell needed to change?”

“I believe it was when I was old enough to really understand the yearly exterminations. I know everyone down here might not exactly deserve mercy but...well, if I just sat back and watched everyone suffer, wouldn’t that make me just as bad, if not worse?”

A glint of determination showed in Charlie’s eyes, and Vaggie smiled lovingly as she watched her lover passionately explain her reasonings behind the hotel.

Yet, Vaggie couldn’t help but still feel a heavy amount of guilt, because she knew she didn’t deserve this. Not after what she had done...

“Can I be asked something now? I’m about ta fall asleep from how boring all of this is.”

“Okay, Angel- here’s one for you. Why did you decide to become a pornstar?” 

Angel instantly regretted requesting to be asked a question now,”I didn’t really ever want ta be one...When I was younger, I ran away from home...I wanted ta be a singer, but...”

Angel still remembered the promises he was told. Just this one time, if you sell your body, we’ll make all your dreams come true...

Maybe you should start singing while pole dancing. 

You need to start stripping during your performances...you have to keep everyone’s interest somehow.

Sleep with this one guy, just this once, okay? It’ll pay well.

I’ve cut your singing time in half, no one really cares about it anyways.

“It didn’t really work out, I guess. After my singing career failed, I realized I was only good for one thing.”

Everyone looked towards the spider with sad and emphatic eyes.

Angel seemed to shrink into himself under all of their gazes,”It really ain’t as bad as it sounds though...”

Angel looked back up at the author,”Can I leave now?”

“We’re not don-“

“I want ta leave. Now. I was having fun before I was whisked away here.”

“Wait...Angel what were you doing beforehand?” Vaggie asked suspiciously. 

Angel didn’t answer,”Write me out of here or whatever the fuck it is ya do. I want ta go back.”

The author sighed, knowing that this must’ve all been too much at once for Angel...

Suddenly, Angel disappeared into thin air. All of the remaining demons looked at each other with wide eyes, except for Alastor, who immediately summoned his tentacles, using them to restrain and grab the author.

"W̶̧̨̫̰̫̙̦̯̠͇̲̰̝̞̝̥̒͑̈́̎̌͗͛͊͗̀̾͌͐̚͜͝h̶̭̣̪͖̾͒̑̅̉̽͠a̷̡̬̮̝̟̲̼͚͎̩̻͙̳͓̹̳̙̰̱̬͒̋̋͝t̴͓̖̩͇̬̭͕͑̅͒̈́̃̈̈̑̇̾͊͑̑̈́͘͠͝ ̴̛͎̥̗͎͔͚̘͙̥͆̄̿̅̎̓̿̍̏͒̍̅́͛͊̍͛̓̚̕̚͜͝͝͠͝d̴̛̖͔̱̪̤͚̙̭̤̬̺͇͇̈́͐͋͂̾̑͑͑̈̀̀̇͊̅͘͘͠i̴͍̖̫̘̭͚̜̳͖̻͎͎̙͔͓̫̪̫̠̳̰̣͓̰̜̓̇̏̈́̿̋̆͆͌̃̆̂̊̇̾̿̽͑̚͜d̷̢̛̙̺̜̟̝̭̟̜͉̺̦̙̘̱̮͙̓͗̏̈́̋̓̌̈͒͛̋́̋͘ ̸̨̰̟͔̘̖͍͇̱̹̦̣̼͙̏̀͘͜y̴͍͙̯̩̯͎̣̑̇̂̓̎̇͒͗̽̔̏̅͐͆̑̔̾͑̑̔͗͑͊̊̕͝͝o̸͙̹̊͑̑̽͋̆̈́͛́̊̎͑͗͊̚͠ư̷̧͓̳͍̩͖̺͖̭͇̤̲̩͕͍̝̩̙̥̗̪̲̩̱̭̺͚̤̎̋͊̔͒̆̈́̈̃̊̾̏̂̆̆̉̂̏͛̊̀̎̇̚̕̚͝͠ ̶̨̛̛̳͇͔̹̬̅͋͆͐́͑͒̏̊̐͘͝d̵̡͓̤̮̣̦̬̩͖͈̝̣̠̣̗͈̍̂̔̔͌͊̍̆̅̈́̋̔͛̊̾̐̊͋̌̈́̀̈́͜͜͝ͅo̴̧̝̒̒̓́̑̋ ̷̧̡̝̤̣͎̲̤͖̞̤̞͇̬̜͖͓̰͎̫̤̦̍͐̓͋̐̉͜͜͝t̴̨͖̗̬̣͕̯͌͌̓́̑̑́̂̋͛̏̋͊̒̀̃͂̇͌͋͘͘͝͝ǫ̷̛̠̺̮̹͕͇̘̜̲̲̙̲̜͑̐̐͒̈͑̓͆̆͆̌͊̓͊͋̑̈͜͝ ̵̧̢̨͇̺̮̱̪̞͋̅̇͐̊͗̃̓̃̃̓̃͛͂͆͛̀̆́̓̈́̑͘̚͝ͅͅh̸̯͓̠̣͗̾̽́͋̈́̋͂̍̄̆͊͐̔͜͜ͅi̶̧͇̣̼̣̖̬͓̗̮̥̰͊́͌͆͛̐͒̍́̐̆͑͆̌͑̓͒͂͘̕m̸̧̺͓͕̼̪͖͔̟͚̯͚̦̟̲̩̹̯͖̝̖̻̩̈̒͆̽͋̊̍͂̂͜͠͝͝ͅͅ?̵̲̬̖͈̘̟̼̝͈̲͇̰̞̇̈̃̔͠" He growled, his words beyond recognition.

A few beads of nervous sweat trailed down the author’s forehead.

“N-nothing!! He’s fine, I swear!! I just- I just wrote him out of here! That’s all!” She stuttered.

“Wrote him out of here? Dear- why should I even believe you possess such powers! If you control all of us, can’t you just ‘write’ that I released you?”

“That’s not how the world works! Although, yes, I do control the events in the story- your reactions are all based entirely on you!” 

“Pray tell, does that mean?”

“Look- I have an idea of who you all are. And I have to stick with that idea- to make it make sense storywise!! Your reactions aren’t completely controlled by me, but instead who you are! I knew that Angel disappearing so suddenly would make you worried- since you’re very protective over those you care for!!”

Alastor tensed at the last sentence,”Care for? Why dear, that’s certainly absurd! I would never care for anyone- especially Angel Dust! HA! How hilarious you are.”

Nevertheless, Alastor released the author from his grips, and went back to his seat. Yet he still kept a watchful eye on the author. 

Husk only rolled his eyes, since he was the only demon in the room who knew that Angel was indeed the demon Alastor cared for.

Meanwhile, Charlie and Niffty knew he cared for someone- neither had a clue about who it could be.

Vaggie just sat there in confusion.

“Can we just get on with the next question?” Vaggie asked.

The author nodded,”That's a great idea Vaggie! This one is for me- will you pretty please (with a cherry on top) continue this story because it is AMAZING!”

The author smiled, it made her happy knowing that people actually enjoyed her little fanfic, just as much as she enjoyed writing it.

“Of course I will! I have so many plans for this story- and I definitely plan on making so many more chapters for it!! I actually have so many ideas that I’ve been considering splitting it into two books...but, ahem, that’s something we’ll talk about another time!”

“Okay, the last and final question comes from Akriagane. Would the characters, and yourself, like some donuts?”

“What donu-“ Charlie began to ask, before suddenly a box of donuts appeared in the author's hand.

“Wow! That’s so cool!!” Charlie squealed, as she opened the box and grabbed a donut with vanilla frosting and sprinkles.

Vaggie shrugged,”Why not.”

The moth grabbed a glazed donut, and took a small and careful bite out of it. Meanwhile, Charlie had all but devoured hers. Her face was practically covered in frosting and sprinkles.

Vaggie laughed, as she gently wiped away the excess frosting on her girlfriend’s face. Charlie beamed up at her.

Husk grabbed a chocolate donut with a grunt, muttering a quiet,”Thanks.”

Niffty had grabbed four donuts, as she gobbled them down like a wild animal. 

Husk noticed the pink little demon still somehow looked adorable...Wait- What was he thinking?

Alastor never liked sweets, yet once he spotted a long vanilla donut that seemed to be filled with jelly on the inside, he grabbed it, and tucked it away in his pocket. The deer decided he would give it to Angel later, since he sadly missed this opportunity.

He knew how much Angel liked sweets, after all. 

“That one’s filled with strawberry flavored jelly,” the author whispered to Alastor., while everyone else was preoccupied with their own shenanigans.

Alastor gave the author a genuine smile.

“Whawiwidhahat- So now that we’re finisheuinew, whteteieieiat do we do now?”

Niffty asked, as she swallowed donuts in between words, making her sentence come out almost unrecognizable. 

“What did you just say?” Vaggie asked with a raised eyebrow.

Niffty swallowed once more as she cleared her throat,”I said- Wait, So now that we’re finished, what do we do now?”

“That’s simple, I send you back, just like how I did Angel. You’ll all be right where you were before, and you’ll have no memory of this even happening.” 

“Wait- really?” Charlie asked.

“Yep- Basically how this little ‘world in between worlds’ works, is that while you guys are in YOUR world, you won’t remember anything that ever happened in here. But- once I bring you guys back here, you’ll also regain your lost memories.”

“Okay, Okay- So basically whatever memories we make here, won’t be remembered unless we’re IN this world, right?” Vaggie asked.

The author nodded,”Basically...now who wants to go home first?”

After a little arguing, the author had finally sent everyone but Alastor home.

“You ready?” She asked.

“Wait- so whatever I say in here, I won’t remember in my world, correct?”

The author nodded.

Alastor sighed, there were some things that he wanted to get off his chest, things that he was too afraid to ever say in the real world- or, his real world. Saying it was basically confirming everything he had tried so hard to deny...

But, certainly it couldn’t hurt if he said it here. After all, he’ll have no memory of it...Besides, he still wasn’t entirely convinced this wasn’t a dream.

“To answer the question from before, dear Angel was correct, I don’t have a favorite memory of him. I simply cherish and adore every single second I spent with him. So no matter how mundane and boring they may seem to others- all of my memories with Angel are a gift. I can’t choose one.” 

The author smiled, glad to know that Alastor was one step closer to finally realizing his true feelings for the spider.

After that, Alastor gave a nod, and the author sent him off.

The author took a deep breath, before she said,”Well- that’s the first ‘answering your questions!’ This was super fun to write, and if you guys are interested in seeing more, let me know down below.”

“Also, if you don’t understand how this world works, don’t stress it! It won’t play a big part in the actual story whatsoever- and I’ll only ever make vague references to this in the actual story, since the characters won’t have any memories of this in their world.”

“I tried to set up this world in a way where it’s really only for fun- and I plan for these ‘reading your questions’ chapters to only be the characters all goofing off and having fun...and maybe a bit light angst from time to time. Anyways, enough rambling, should I make more chapters like this one? Let me know down below!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im sorry for the slow updates recently, I promise to try and post more frequently from now on!


	8. Ch 7. The Grace In Denial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone at the hotel deals with the aftermath of Angel's relapse, Charlie is so fed up with Alastor's shit, and Alastor attempts to patch things up with Angel but it goes horribly wrong, but you know what they say- try try again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: physical abuse aftermath/mentions  
> I told y'all I'd get this next chapter out much quicker, so here we are. I kept my word lmao. I actually kinda like how some parts in this turned out tbh, especially the end. I think I'm getting better at writing these characters, since at the start it was pretty OOC. but idk, I still have a long way to go.

Charlie nervously bit her nails as she waited patiently in the lobby for Angel. It was around three in the morning, he was supposed to be back hours ago.

Despite how late it was, Charlie didn’t feel tired at all. The only thing keeping her awake was her concern and worry for the spider. She was tempted to wake Vaggie up, yet she also didn’t know if that would be the best idea…

Vaggie often overreacted, and was hard on the spider, and she knew her girlfriend would be very upset once she heard that Angel was late…

Suddenly, the front doors swung open, as Angel staggered into the hotel. Charlie’s eyes widened as she took in his appearance. His signature jacket was half way unbuttoned, leaving his chest fluff fully exposed. His bangs were all over the place and a few parts were slicked back with sweat, his eyes rapidly moved side to side as he struggled to even walk properly.

Due to past experience, Charlie could tell Angel had relapsed. 

Charlie rushed over towards Angel, as she gently set her hands on top of Angel’s shoulders to help steady him a bit.

“Angel? It’s me, Charlie. Your friend. We’re in the hotel right now, okay?”

It took a moment for Angel to respond,”Ok…” 

“We’re going to go sit at the couch over there, okay? Is that alright?” 

Angel gave a grunt, signifying it was alright.

Charlie slowly led Angel towards the couch, and helped him settle down. She knew he needed a calm and quiet environment to wait off the high, and she also knew she couldn’t leave him alone. Being in a ‘detention’ sort of environment often made those who were high on PCP violent and suicidal. 

Charlie still remembered the aftermath of his highs from before, as she shuddered internally.

“Are you cold?” Charlie asked in a quiet voice. 

“He- he...he’s gonna come for me…” Angel whispered, as he wrapped his arms around himself. 

Charlie knew Angel was spiraling,”No one’s coming for you. You’re here with me, and you’re safe.”

Angel shook his head,”No, no, no….he’s gonna find...me. He’s here...he’s here…”

Charlie shushed him as she grabbed a nearby blanket as she gently draped it over Angel’s shoulders. 

This is what Valentino always did, he always got him hooked, and then dropped Angel off at the hotel. Making everyone else deal with the horrible aftermath.

Charlie didn’t even want to know about what happened before Angel went to the hotel, and how he dealt with all of this by himself…

“Are you hungry? Thirsty?” Charlie asked.

Angel shook his head,”Why do I...why do I do this? W-why...why can’t I…”

“They’re coming...they’re coming after...me…”

“I’m going to get you some water, and a popsicle. Is that okay?”

“I can’t...the walls are closing- they’re...they’re closing in..” Angel breathed as he looked around wildly.

The rest of the night continued on like that, eventually Charlie convinced Angel to go into his room and lay down. 

At one point he was bawling his eyes out on his bed, while Charlie hummed softly and stroked his fur. Another time he began puking all over his floor, but once he did eventually fall asleep, Charlie cleaned it up for Angel.

Charlie knew she was going to have to confront Angel about this later today, but for now she was just happy he was finally asleep.

-

Vaggie had woken up sometime around six, and found that the spot next to her was empty. Usually Charlie slept in, so her girlfriend’s sudden disappearance worried her…

Vaggie remembered the warnings from before, and her blood ran cold.

She wasted no time getting out of bed and throwing a pajama shirt on as she ran through the hotel,”Charlie? Charlie?”

“I’m in here,” she heard her lover’s soft voice grumble from the kitchen. 

Vaggie sighed in relief, as she entered the room.

The moth took in Charlie’s appearance, she had big bags under her eyes, and her eyelids were half lidded as she stared down at her cup of coffee.

“Charlie- sweetie? What's wrong?”

“Nothing...it’s just- Angel relapsed last night…”

Vaggie was shocked, to say the least. Angel had been doing so well, she wondered what had caused him to relapse…

Vaggie wrapped her arms around Charlie, as she rested her head on the other’s shoulders,”It’s alright, these things happen...it’s all apart of the recovery.”

“I know...I just- I don’t know what to do...Even if he wanted to quit working at the studio- he can’t thanks to that contract…”

“We’ll figure something out, we always do.”

Charlie nodded at Vaggie’s comforting words.

“But, first- you need some sleep. You look like shit.”

Charlie chuckled gently, as a smile grew onto Vaggie’s face.

“If Angel wakes up- I’ll watch him for you, you just need to worry about getting sleep right now, alright?”

Charlie nodded, and gave Vaggie a quick peck, before going upstairs to their room. 

-

A few hours later, Vaggie knocked softly on Angel’s door, a bowl of froot loops in her hand.

“Angel? Can I come in?” Vaggie knew from past experience to _never_ barge into Angel’s room unannounced. 

Vaggie heard a gentle grunt, and took that as an invitation. Vaggie slowly opened the door, and made her way inside, closing it behind her. Angel had snuggled under the covers, with Fat Nuggets cuddled up next to him. 

“I got you some breakfast,” she said.

Angel didn’t even acknowledge her, instead just slightly stirring.

After a few more moments of silence, Angel spoke,“So didja just come in here to yell at me or something? Tell me how much of a failure I am?”

“No, I- Angel you’re not a failure. Relapse is a normal part of recovery.”

“What if I don’t want to recover?” Angel asked.

“Angel...I know relapse is discouraging- but, well I..”

Vaggie didn’t really know what to say, she was never good at encouragement. It was so much easier to just scream and yell, but when she was actually trying to be helpful to Angel, well…

“Just leave Vags.”

Vaggie had no problem obeying.

-

“Angel, how do you feel after the relapse? What are your thoughts on it?”

Angel stayed quiet, instead opting to look down at the ground instead of answering right away. A part of Angel was disappointed in himself about the relapse, but the other part was screaming about how this was what he deserved, what he was. What he would always be.

Why fight it? Why try and be someone he wasn’t? 

He wasn’t redeemable, even if Charlie’s concept was true, it would never work for him.

Angel always found a way to fuck things up. 

Angel disappointed Valentino multiple times. Angel worried Charlie and Vaggie by staying out late. Angel even chased Alastor away. 

Angel always messed up.

He tried Charlie’s way, and it didn’t work. He now needed to accept who he really was.

“It is what it is,” Angel shrugged.

“While that is true, what you do after the relapse is completely up to you. Tell me, Angel, do you want to continue abusing PCP?” Charlie asked with a head tilt.

“It doesn’t matter what I want, it’s all about who I am. I’m Angel Dust, porn star, hooker, addict- however ya want ta spin it, princess. It doesn’t matter what word ya use really, what matters is that is all I’ll ever be.”

“Did Valentino tell you that?” Charlie inquired, already knowing the answer.

“Yeah- what about it?”

“Everyone gets something wrong sometimes, how do you know Valentino is right?”

Angel rolled his eyes, he found Charlie’s question irritating. 

“I just know- why else did I drive Al away?!” Angel snapped. 

“Angel-”

“No! DON’T try and tell me everything will be okay- because it AIN’T! Ya got no idea what it’s like ta have a sorta-friend tell ya to yer face that they were using ya for entertainment, that it was all fake, that it- it meant NOTHING ta them, and ya were nothing but a whore ta them!” 

“Val is the ONLY one who ain’t left me yet- and he’s the only one looking out for me! So, yeah, I trust him when he tells me that I’ll only ever be a whore!”

Angel couldn’t contain his anger anymore, all of his frustrations that he had been keeping bottled up were finally coming out. 

“Al did that to you?” Charlie asked in a meek voice.

Angel’s silence was enough of an answer for Charlie.

Charlie felt angry, very angry. Charlie rarely felt angry, but when she did- it’d be best if you just stayed out of her way.

-

After their session ended, Charlie had sent Angel away, not saying anything about what she was about to do next.

Alastor looked up at Charlie as she approached, and greeted her,”Ah! Hello dear Charlotte, how are you doing today?”

“What the fuck did you do to Angel?!” Charlie snapped, not bothering with pleasantries. 

“Darling I’m not sure what you’re talking ab-”

“Don’t you dare lie to me,” Charlie jabbed her pointer finger into Alastor’s chest, not caring about his personal space at this point.

Alastor bristled at the sudden contact, and he was rather surprised at this sudden change in Charlie’s personality. Sure, he’d seen something like this during that interview- but it was never directed towards him.

“Angel told me about what you said to him-”

“and how. DARE. you!” With each word, Charlie poke Alastor once more, her expression only growing angrier.   
  
“How dare you think it’s okay to ever treat him like that! He’s been trying his DAMN hardest, and he’s been doing a great job at it too! So the fact that you think you can just betray him like that?? Put him in a position where he's more vulnerable to relapse. That’s messed u-”

“Relapse? What are you talking about- what happened to Angel?” Alastor asked, obvious concern etched in his tone.

Charlie suddenly realized that she’d probably spilled too much of Angel’s personal life. 

“It isn’t my place to tell, but Al- you either fix this shit and apologize, or **I’ll make you** ,” with the last part, Charlie’s long horns protruded from her head, as the whites of her eyes turned blood red, almost instantly really.

While Alastor wasn’t particularly scared of Charlie, he couldn’t help but be...a bit impressed. He never expected such an obvious threat from her. A part of him wondered what it would take to break her, to push her over the edge…

Alastor filed those thoughts away for another day. Now was not the time. 

The pit in his stomach grew even larger at this news...He wasn’t expecting for Angel to react this badly. He wasn’t expecting for Angel to relapse because of the hurtful words he had said.

He wanted Angel to be angry at him, to yell- scream. And then, Angel would’ve- no, should’ve, moved on. He should’ve realized that Alastor wasn’t worth his time- he wasn’t supposed to mourn their lost relationship. 

Alastor didn’t think Angel would’ve taken his words to heart, didn’t think he would react this badly…

Alastor tried to tell himself that he shouldn’t care, that Angel’s feelings didn’t matter to him, but that was a lie. Angel mattered so much to him, and that terrified him. Just like Husk had said…

This was Alastor’s fault, and he knew he had to fix it. Not because of Charlie’s threat, but because he didn’t want to see Angel in pain because of something he had said.

Not that he’d admit that outloud of course.

Perhaps it couldn’t hurt if he had a late night talk with Angel tonight...just one more time to smooth things over, and then they’d be done. Alastor could move on from these confusing feelings without having this awful feeling in his chest.

-

Alastor had decided to make something a bit more simple that night, after all- bigger isn’t always better.

He’d also decided that breakfast for dinner was always swell, and considering how much Angel loved everything sweet, chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream and strawberries ontop were the obvious option. 

So, when he heard the front doors swing open, he called out politely,”Ah! Angel dear, you’re back! You’re...an hour tardy, but perhaps I could let that slide and lie to our dear Charlotte, hm? Anyways, I have made some p-”

When Alastor turned towards Angel, his stomach dropped and his eyes widened.

Angel Dust looked like, excuse his foul language, shit. 

His beautiful pale fur was covered in bruises, his left eye was clamped shut and swollen, and a trail of blood was coming out from his mouth.

Alastor went to wrap a comforting arm around Angel, but he was promptly shoved away.

“What are ya doing here Alastor?”

No Al? No smiles? No bambi? Not even strawberry pimp or deer daddy? Just _Alastor_? 

Alastor never thought hearing his birth given name would hurt this much to hear.

“I- I’m on curfew duty, after all! But, that’s not important- Angel dear, who di-”

“Don’t call me ‘dear’ or ‘darling’ or any of yer fucking pet names!” Angel snapped, his eyes, er- eye, was cold.

Alastor went silent at the sudden yelling, but quickly regained his composure,”Angel, now is not the time fo-”

Angel interrupted Alastor, once more, and exclaimed,”No- we’re not doing this. Ya don’t get ta pretend like nothing ever happened. Ya don’t get ta come in here with yer big smile and pancakes, and- and- and this fake kindness!”

“Angel, please, I can tell you’re hurt, let me help you. I- I don’t like seeing you like this.”

Angel could tell Alastor wasn’t just talking about the bruises…

“I’m not a fucking toy- ya can’t just rip me apart and then sew me back together just so ya don’t feel like a piece of shit. Cause guess what? Ya ARE!”

“Angel-”

“I have goddamn feelings just like everybody else down here- just cause I’m a whore don’t mean ya can just come back inta my life whenever it suits ya! What?! Did ya expect me ta welcome ya back with open arms?!”

“Did ya expect me ta say ‘ _oh Alastor! Ya really hurt me, but do ya think ya can just fix everything with some pancakes? Well, yer right! Problem solved! Now ya can stop feeling so shitty and stop pitying the biggest slut in all of Hell!!_ ’!” Angel mocked in a fake over cheery tone.

“Angel please, I- just let me fix this,” Alastor sputtered out.

“Ya can’t.”

Angel turned around, not even daring to face Alastor anymore. He was afraid if he did, he’d cry. Angel wasn’t going to cry in front of Alastor, of all demons. Not now.

“I- I’m…”

Both knew what Alastor was trying to say, yet they both knew he wasn’t going too.

“ _Do you think I’m a joke?_ ” Angel muttered quietly, as his eyebrows scrunched together in frustration.

Angel spun around, not caring anymore. Angel was pissed, he was emotional- and he was so, so tired of this.

“ _Cause people like you always want back what they can’t have, but I’m past that, and you know that_ ,” Angel towered over Alastor, as tears began to form at the corners of his eyes.

Angel pointed towards the direction of the bar, his gaze never leaving Alastor’s,” _So you should turn back to your ratpack telling ‘em trash._ ”

“ _Tell all of your friends that I’m crazy_ ,” Angel’s arms that were once outstretched towards the bar, flew to the side of his head, and made a circling motion as he kept taking steps towards Alastor, and Alastor cowarded and kept moving backwards.

“ _And drive you mad,_ ” All of Angel’s hands dropped to his side, as he finally forced Alastor to shove his back against the wall.

_“That I’m such a stalker, a watcher, a psychopath!” Angel spat._

_“Then tell ‘em you hate me, and hung with me- just for laughs.”_

_“So why do you sit here- and tell me,_

**_You._ **   
**_Want._ **   
**_Me._ **   
**_Back._ **

_You maniac!”_

The room went silent, the only thing that could be heard was Angel’s ragged breaths as he fought to hold back his sobs. 

Finally, without a word, Angel turned around and stormed out of the kitchen, leaving Alastor alone with his thoughts.

Alastor couldn’t even comprehend what he was experiencing right now. He was angry- not at Angel, but at himself. 

Because Angel was right.

Alastor had completely disregarded Angel’s feelings. He had only been worried about himself and calming his guilt. 

Not Angel. 

Alastor felt even more terrible. 

He couldn’t believe how he really thought he could just pretend nothing happened for just one night- to just ignore the hurtful things he had said towards Angel. To toy with Angel once more. Not give Angel any real closure.

Alastor needed to fix this. 

_Actually_ fix it this time.

-

A soft knock awoke Charlie, well- perhaps that wasn’t exactly true.

What woke Charlie was Vaggie’s stirring due to the soft knock. Vaggie was a very light sleeper.

Charlie gently placed a warm kiss on her girlfriend’s head, before climbing out of bed. She didn’t want whoever it was at the door to wake up Vaggie.

Charlie opened the door, and was surprised to see Alastor. She had calmed down since their last interaction, and decided that she probably went a bit overboard...She did feel terrible for accidentally spilling about the relapse. She knew that was Angel’s private information, and she totally overstepped a boundary. 

Charlie took a step out from her room and into the hallway, and softly closed the door behind her.

“Uh, hey Alastor- what’s up?”

“Do you remember the demon I told you about a few days ago? The one that I- was afraid of caring for?”

Charlie nodded, as their earlier conversation slowly came back to her,”Yes- I remember. Did something happen?”

Alastor sighed,”I- I was talking about Angel.”

Everything went silent, before Alastor suddenly began to ramble,”I think it started out the first time I took up making sure he came back on time. At first I told myself my uncharacteristic interest in him was simply just because I wanted to figure out who he was.”

“And, well- I guess that was partially true, but now I- I realized that I actually enjoyed learning more about Angel. I enjoyed his company! Which, I understand how ridiculous that sounds...Trust me, I didn’t want to believe it either..but it gets even worse!”

“Once you suggested the ball, Angel told me about how he couldn’t dance- and I offered to help him, why? I didn’t know at the time- but now I realized it was because I wanted too. I wanted to help Angel. And, well- during that time I...I liked holding his hand. It, was- a weird and unknown sensation for me. I looked forward to dancing with him at the ball but- well, then Valentino happened…”

“When I saw Angel like that, well- I- I, my world seemed to shatter! It pained me to my very core seeing him on the ground, lifeless, bleeding out...Just thinking about it now is terrible! I remember being so- so angry at Valentino, that r̸̲͔̯̚o̶͙͐͆a̵̩͎̎ͅc̵̺͇͈̊̇̈h̵̦̲͙͆̈́, for ever laying his filthy grimy hands on Angel! Until, I realized- Valentino only punished Angel because of me! Because I- I made him jealous! And, well, with those new feelings and things that were so very uncharacteristic for me to do, I was terrified as well. HA! Can you imagine? Me being scared? I surely couldn’t! But it’s true!”

Charlie nodded as she listened to his long ramble, she knew he needed to get all of this off of his chest for him to properly be able to address it.

“I decided it would be best for both of us if I just...if I just cut things off. So I started avoiding him, but no- that wasn’t fair to Angel. He needed some sort of reason to stay away. So I said some horrible, awful, words to him...I told him I was just using him for entertainment- I called him..a...some terrible things...I thought that was the right choice, until you told me about the relapse, and well..Obviously I wanted to fix it!”

“I hate seeing him so upset, especially because of me! So I thought if I just well, pretended for one more night like nothing happened, I’d stop feelinging so guilty...Which was incredibly selfish and- and ignorant of me to think! Until Angel he...he came back late, and- in a bad state, oh Charlotte- he was hurt! And the first thing I thought of was about stopping the guilt I felt, instead of actually helping him!”

“He, understandably, got upset and yelled at me- and now, he- he’s alone and hurt in his room. I just- what do I do? This isn’t what I wanted to happen, but it did, and it’s all my fault- and I need to fix it, but I am so clueless about how to do so. Do I simply leave him be? Because it seems like all I do is make things worse for him. I don’t want him to get hurt any more because of me, just like at the ball.”

Once Alastor had let it all out, Charlie gave him a soft and gentle look,”Al- pushing Angel away won’t help you, or him. What Angel really needs right now, is friends who support him and are there for him.”

“I know it’s scary to care for someone, or to even believe someone cares for you- especially when you believed for so long that it’s not possible. When Vaggie first told me she loved me, I was in disbelief- I thought I was unlovable. But, Al- no one is. Not even you.” Charlie gave him a comforting smile.

“Your feelings of fear are valid, but you need to understand- that if you just keep pushing everyone away, you’ll be lonely and unhappy forever. You need to stop sabotaging yourself.” 

“So, let me ask you this- do you want to be alone? Truly. Don’t think about what you think someone strong and powerful would say, don’t think about what you should want, what do you really want?”

What Alastor wanted?

He knew the answer already, the hard part was actually admitting it.

Alastor wanted to feel Angel’s soft hands in his. He wanted to stay up late talking with him. He wanted to hear that oh so infectious laugh, and see that beautiful smile. He wanted to hold him. He wanted to know what his chest fluff felt like. 

“I...I want Angel.”

Alastor didn’t know what this exactly meant yet, but he would figure that out later.

“Then tomorrow morning, apologize to him. Address what you said. Listen to him, and fix this.”

Alastor nodded,”Thank you dear, you’ve been very insightful, as always.”

As Alastor turned to leave, he remembered something else that was on his mind,”Darling- do you know of anyone who would want to hurt Angel?”

Charlie knew what Alastor really meant.

Alastor wanted to know who did this, so he could get revenge.

So, while Charlie did have a pretty damn good idea who was behind this, she knew telling Alastor would do more harm than good.

All it would do would put Angel in more danger, and just make Angel resent Alastor for getting in the way.

“No clue, but I’ll talk with Angel about it later.”

With that, the two bid each other good night, and Charlie returned to her spot on the soft bed, next to her girlfriend.

Although Alastor knew there was one more thing he had to do before calling it a night…

Alastor slinked into the shadows, as he found himself in Angel’s room. 

Luckily, Angel was asleep. 

Alastor quietly tip toed towards his bed, and peered down at Angel.

Alastor noticed that Angel still had his smudged makeup on...Did he just flop into bed after their fight? 

Alastor knew he couldn’t heal Angel while he was asleep, since the action would probably wake him up, but- he could do one thing for him.

Alastor stepped into Angel’s bathroom, and wetted a washcloth.

Returning into the room, he gently wiped away the makeup, making sure to be slow and careful as to not wake the other.

Alastor finished up, and put the, now dirty, washcloth away. 

Alastor went to leave, but his eyes caught on Angel, who looked so...so peaceful in his sleep. The gentle rise and fall of his chest. The way he looked so unbothered while asleep, not a care in the world. 

_He looks angelic._

For once, Alastor didn’t think of that thought as traitious, or deny it. Charlie, Husk, and Niffty were all right. Feelings they were...well, they were feelings, and Alastor had them. And that wasn’t a bad thing.

Maybe- just maybe, Alastor could accept that he and Angel were friends, and that's what these weird feelings meant. Just like he was friends with Niffty and Husk.

_He does live up to his name, doesn’t he?_

“Sleep well, _mon ange_.”

-

The next morning, Alastor awoke to something rather...strange.

A jelly filled donut on his nightstand to be exact, which Alastor knew for a fact he had never seen in his life. At least, from what he remembered. 

Alastor sniffed it, the treat seemed to be fresh.

It smelled like strawberries as well.

For some reason, Alastor immediately knew what he was going to do with it.

-

Angel awoke to a soft knocking on his door.

Angel groaned sleepily, as he mumbled,”Come in.”

Alastor entered the room, with a silver tray in his hand.

“Good morning Angel, I believe we need to have a chat.”

Angel stared at Alastor, as he furrowed his eyebrows. He didn’t know what to even say at this point.

“Why are ya still here? Even after last night?” Angel blurted out.

“Because I..I care for you Angel. And I know you don’t treat people you care about the way I did- and I know that you have no reason to forgive me or even hear me out, but I do want to try and mend things between us. If that’s okay with you, of course.” 

Alastor cleared his throat,”But- I’m assuming you’re probably hungry, and sore. If you’d like, I can heal your wounds completely, since they’re not anything major. We can talk about all of that other stuff in a moment. I doubt anyone would want to think about such things when in pain.”

“Uh, yeah- sure. Ya can do yer voodoo healing thing.”

Alastor nodded,”You might want to lay down, this will also tickle a bit.”

Angel obliged, as he grabbed the tray, and laid down on his back.

Angel began munching on the donut, and while doing so he found out it was filled with strawberry flavored jelly, which was a very good surprise. 

“I will need you to lift up your shirt, is that alright?”

“Of course it’s alright, ya can take off my shirt anytime.”

Alastor rolled his eyes, yet inside he felt relieved- Angel had made a flirty joke towards him.

Did this mean that Angel was open to mending things between the two? 

Angel lifted up his shirt, revealing the nasty bruises. The worst ones were near his abdomen, they were a dark shade of purple and blue. Alastor didn’t even want to know how bad they were last night, before Angel began to naturally heal himself. 

Seeing the injuries, Alastor let out a short and soft growl. 

He quickly composed himself, now was not the time for this. He would find out who dared to do this- then quickly dispose of them.

Alastor opened his hands, and faced his palms towards Angel. They began to emit a green color, as he slowly made his way upwards starting from his stomach, the bruises began to disappear. 

“Alastor- why ya do it? Ya know, say all of that. Was it true?” Angel softly asked, as he stared up at the ceiling.

“No, it wasn’t true. Not at all. I said it because...because I was scared.”

“Ya? Scared? I don’t believe it,” Angel snickered.

“I didn’t at first either, but it’s true. I was scared because I- I realized I cared for you. You see, for so long I was under the impression I was emotionless. That I hadn’t a shred of humanity within me. But, turns out, I was wrong.”

“As you already know, I decided the best solution was to cut you off...I assumed it’d be better for both of us. When you confronted me about avoiding you, I thought if I just...well, if I just lied about my feelings and say awful things- you’d stay away. Which, I guess it worked- but not in the exact way I thought it would.”

“I...I still had those feelings, pushing you away seemed to only make them stronger. And I- well, when I heard about how much I had hurt you with what I had said, I felt even more guilty than I had already. I thought that- I selfishly was under the presumption that if I just took up curfew duty for one more night, everything would be fine. I’d be done with these feelings, as well as with the guilt.”

Alastor finished up with Angel’s upper half, and scooted closer to his head.

As he began to heal Angel’s swollen eye, as well as a bruise on his jaw, he said,”That was wrong of me to think. I should’ve considered how you were feeling, and I shouldn’t have toyed with you like that.”

“So, Angel, for the horrible way I treated you- I am deeply sorry.”

“Wait- did the big bad radio demon just apologize? Perhaps this redemption stuff does work.”

Alastor finished up, as he pretended to huff and turn away,”Me? Redemption? Oh never! Why would you ever think that?”

“Well, I forgive ya, Al.”

Hearing those words seemed to instantly lift a weight off Alastor’s shoulders.

Angel finished up the donut, and licked the excess bits off of his fingers.

Alastor faced him once more, although he instantly regretted it once he saw how adorable Angel looked in that moment while licking his fingers,”Ho-how do you feel darling?”

“I feel great, like- brand new. Ya gotta teach me that magic shit sometime.”

“Oh dear, I hope that won’t be necessary, I do hope you won’t have to use it very often.”

“Aw, are ya worried about lil ol’ me? How sweet, ya really DO care for me, huh?”

“Me? Worried? Oh please, I think you’re letting my apology get to your head. I only said I cared for you after all.” 

“That makes this whole thing even funnier- ya really did all of this shit just cause ya were scared of being my friend? Yer so over dramatic, ya know that- right?”

“I am suddenly regretting telling you all about my feelings if you’re just going to use them against me like this.”

“Aw come on Al, I think it’s cute.”

“It- it is not cute! That is- well, perhaps you’re the over dramatic one.”

“Look bambi, I’ll stop picking on ya if ya just admit that I’m yer best friend.”

“No.”

“I thought we were past this ‘denial of feelings’ thing? Come on, say it.”

Alastor sighed,”Fine- Angel, you’re my best friend.”

“See, there ya go! Look at ya, yer getting better at expressing yer feelings! Not bad for a beginner, if I do say so myself.”

“Angel, if you utter a single word of this to anyone else, I will slice off your tongue.”

“Ya can have this tongue whenever ya want~” Angel shot back in a suggestive tone, as he stuck out his tongue and wiggled his eyebrows at Alastor.

“I am suddenly regretting ever even coming into your room.” 

For some unknown reason though, the word ‘friend’ had left a bad taste in Alastor’s mouth.

_Why did that word hurt so much to say?_

Little did Alastor know, he was still in denial. Whether he believed it or not. But, there is a grace in denial. It's our body's way of only letting in as much as we can handle. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That ending sentence is a quote by David Kessler. I kinda changed a few of the words tho to match the situation.
> 
> song used in this chap: Maniac- Conan Gray
> 
> also yall, I'm a bit curious- what songs remind you of some of the characters/relationships in this fic? I might use them ;)))


	9. Ch 8. Stay Away From Things That Aren't Yours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie and Angel go over some tough topics. An old friend visits Angel. Husk is still so tired of Alastor's shit. Alastor invites Angel on a 'date', and realizes that perhaps his feelings for Angel go beyond friendship...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Gore/descriptions of violent/mentions of abuse   
> I'm not really good at all at writing gore scenes, so this chapter was a bit out of my comfort zone for me. None the less, I hope you enjoy, I worked really hard on this one !!
> 
> also, sorry for the slow updates. I tried to make this one extra long to make up for it ,,

“Angie baby- I’m sorry. I really am. You know that, right?” Valentino asked as he looked down at the other that was in his lap.

“Yes daddy, I know.”

“I just lost my temper, you know I have a short temper doll face. You shouldn’t have pushed me,” Valentino spun his story delicately- it surprised Angel how easily he turned an apology into excuses.

“I know, boss. It won’t happen again.”

“Good boy.”

-

“Ah, Angel dear, you’re back! I’m making roast- and before you ask, don’t worry, there are no demons in it.”

Angel laughed before taking a seat at the kitchen island,”Aw, now yer reading my thoughts. We really are besties now, huh?”

“Oh please, it has nothing to do with us being so called besties, you’re just a predictable creature.”

“Me? Predictable? Ya literally never wear any colors other than red and black!” Angel shot back. 

“And what about it? I think they’re both fine colors!”

“Of course ya would think that,” Angel snorted.

Alastor shot him a look, before continuing with his roast. 

“Angel dear- do you mind if I...if I ask you something?” Alastor asked nervously, he felt like he was walking on eggshells. One wrong word or step- and Angel would go running to the hills.

Alastor couldn’t lose Angel again, but he had to make sure Angel was safe. 

“Yeah, sure.”

“Did...did Valentino do that to you? The other night?”

Angel’s blood ran cold at the sudden question, not wanting to revisit those memories…

Angel remembered promising Alastor that if Valentino ever hurt him again, that he’d tell him.

But…

It was just a mistake. Angel still loved Valentino. 

Angel knew Alastor would try and do something about this, he knew Alastor would just make things so much more serious than it needed to be…

Angel also knew that Valentino told him it wouldn’t happen again. So, there was no point in making a fuss out of it…

Valentino wouldn’t lie to Angel either… Right? Yeah, of course he wouldn’t.

“No, it was just some random John. Don’t worry, Val blew their brains out. It’s taken care of.”

-

“How’s everything been since the last time we spoke?” Charlie softly tapped the end of her pen against the top of her notepad, as she looked up at Angel.

“Cha cha, I know yer dying to ask about the relapse. I can tell. Stop beating around the bush, and get ta the point.”

“Why do you think that? Why do you think that everyone’s only nice to you just so they can get something from you?” Charlie questioned.

Angel went quiet. 

“Are you sure that you aren’t the one that wants to talk about the relapse?”

“No! ….Maybe….I don’t know!” Angel groaned as he exasperatedly hid his face in his hands.

“What’s on your mind?”

“It’s...well, I feel...guilty. I thought I...wouldn’t, but... y’know. I just- I feel so... absolutely disgusted. I look in the mirror and I- I feel physically sick. I don’t want ta be this- but then again, that’s all I ever will be,” Angel’s voice grew quieter with each word he spoke, he curled in on himself subconsciously trying to make himself appear smaller.

“Do you want to continue abusing PCP?” Charlie asked plainly.

“It’s not that simple.”

“Pretend that it is that simple. Just for a moment. Answer this without thinking about what situation you’re in, or even who you are. Only think about what you want, what you desire for yourself.” 

“I...I don’t want to do it anymore...PCP I mean.” 

Charlie nodded, a proud smile coming onto her face. Only for it to quickly fall, once she realized there was something else they needed to talk about.

“Is it okay if we talk about...a few nights ago? The night that…”

“That Al was on curfew duty?”

Charlie nodded, it was important to her that all of these sessions were client-led. She refused to talk about something without Angel’s consent.

Angel sensed Charlie was waiting for his go ahead, and gave a small nod. He just wanted to get this over with.

“Angel, I know that you came in back to the hotel in a...bad state,” Charlie said softly.

“And I know Valentino was the one who did it.”

“He- he didn’t mean to. It’s not his fault- okay?! He just- he just…”

“Made a mistake?” Charlie finished for Angel.

“Yeah, he just made a mistake...he’s not bad, okay? He loves me.”

“I know, but- sometimes even good people make mistakes, right?” Charlie attempted to reason.

“I- I guess…”

“So, it’s okay to admit he did something wrong. That he messed up. It doesn’t mean you love him any less. This is a safe space, Angel- whatever you say won’t ever reach him. What are some things that he does that you don’t like?”

Angel sighed, ”Well- I guess I don’t like it when he gets...really angry. I know sometimes I- I deserve what he does ta me, but- I just...he goes a bit overboard sometimes I think...Like, he gets in these moods where he’s a totally different person.”

Angel ran his fingers through his bangs, pondering over how to explain it.

“One second he’s really soft, and gentle, and loving- the next he...well…”

“Becomes violent?”

“Yeah, he gets really violent sometimes, but like ya said- he just makes mistakes sometimes. He doesn’t mean it.”

“Angel- do you mind telling me what Valentino did last night?”

“Val he-...I didn’t do what I was supposed ta, so he got upset,” Angel tried to shift the blame. 

“Whatever you did or didn’t do- isn’t relevant Angel, I’m asking what did Valentino do. You didn’t force him to do anything, you don’t control his actions.”

“I guess...last night I-...He got upset at me, so he...he pinned me against and the wall, and well- ya know…”

Charlie noticed Angel sounded almost embarrassed to admit this, as if any of this was his fault. That thought alone made Charlie want to tell Alastor, to let him have his way with the low life pimp.

But, this was not about her, this was about Angel.

“I think we should implement a safe word for when he gets into one of these ‘moods.’ Just a quick phrase you can text me if he ever stops acting like himself, and you think you’re in danger.”

“I mean...I guess, but I doubt I’ll have ta use it.”

“That’s fine Angel, anyways- what's a word you think you’ll be able to remember easily or type out quickly?”

“Well...uh...what about peaches?” Angel suggested, since it was the first word to pop up in his head. 

“Peaches is great Angel! Peaches will be our safe word, okay?”

“Okay.”

-

“Sup bitch, ya miss me?” Cherri exclaimed as she kicked open Angel’s door, practically breaking it.

Cherri hadn’t seen Angel since their little turf war, that girl with that X over her eye said something about her ‘being a bad influence,’ which Cherri didn’t really understand. 

But, once that princess gave her a call and told her that Angel needed some ‘bonding time with a trusted friend’- of course she came right away. 

Angel instantly perked up at the familiar voice, ”Sugar tits? Is that really ya?”

“You know it! And guess what I just stole?” Cherri held up five nail polish colors that she had grabbed from her purse, all varying shades of pink.

“Stole? Well, ya better not tell the princess, she’ll throw a hissy fit,” Angel snickered. 

“Oh please, it was from one of those big corporations that underpay their workers. If anything, I’m doing the right thing by not feeding into their capitalist greed.” 

Despite Angel not being into politics, Cherri was very much into it. For as long as Angel had known Cherri, she had no trust in authority figures and was what many would call an anarchist. 

While Angel didn’t really know what half the stuff she would rant about was, he could tell she did firmly believe it, which Angel admired about her.

“Well, how can the princess argue with that?” Angel said with a smirk.

Cherri tossed Angel a dark pink, and saved the lighter one for herself, setting the rest of them down on the carpet.

As Cherri carefully unscrewed the lid and began painting over her fingernails, she asked, ”So, have I missed anything? Any new boyfriends~?”

“I’ll tell ya if ya tell me if ya had any new girlfriends.”

“No fair, I asked first!” Angel whined playfully.

“And I asked last, now spill.”

“Okay, okay- fine. Well, there was this one girl at our favorite coffee shop- Beatrice I think her name was? I don’t know. There was also this one girl I met at a club, Oh! And how could I forget…”

Cherri continued to list off all of her flings from the last few months, sometimes forgetting a name or two. 

If you thought Angel was a heartbreaker- better think again. While Angel slept around for money, Cherri did it for fun. She liked breaking girl’s hearts, it was her thing really. Cherri definitely wasn't the mushy lovey-dovey type.

“And I guess you can count that girl downstairs, the bitchy one? Yeah, I tried to get her to strip search me by instituting I had hidden drugs down my skirt, but for some reason, the princess insisted that I was fine, and then she just glared at me.”

Angel began to laugh hysterically, ”Cherri- ya know those two are dating, right?”

Cherri’s face fell for a moment before she too began to laugh along with Angel.

“No wonder the princess looked like she was about to kill me- if that other bitch wasn’t in the room, I’m sure she would’ve.”

“Oh please, this is Cha Cha we’re talking about, you know she wouldn’t ever harm anyone. She’s a literal cinnamon roll.”

“I don’t know Angie, she is the daughter of Lucifer. I’m sure she’s much darker than she lets on,” Cherri thought aloud.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Okay okay, now it’s your turn! Tell me, has a dashing prince captured your heart yet?”

“There might be someone…”

“Spill!” Cherri shouted like an excited school girl.

“It’s Valentino! I mean- I know that we had a rocky start, but once you get to know him, he’s actually really sweet and caring! I...I think I might love him.”

Cherri’s face fell at the news, just the sound of Valentino’s name made her stomach churn. She never trusted Valentino, Angel had come back to her place too many times with wounds on his body and tears in his eyes. 

Angel noticed Cherri’s upset face, ”Cherri? What’s wrong?”

Cherri gulped, she had two choices- either tell the truth or sugar coat it.

While Cherri usually always chose the truthful route, even if it hurt Angel, this was a special case. She just got Angel back in her life- did she really want to jeopardize that so soon? 

So, Cherri decided to do something she usually never does- bite her tongue. ”I’m just worried for you Angie, love is... Well, it’s messy. Just be careful, okay? I don’t want you going out and getting your heartbroken.” 

“Oh Cherri, ya worry too much. Val would never hurt me.”

“And you don’t worry enough,” Cherri muttered to herself.

-

“Angel dear, I’m sorry- but that is simply incorrect. Your so-called ‘modern music’ is simple garbage,” Alastor huffed.

“Have ya ever listened ta it?”

“Well, no…”

“How do ya know ya don’t like it if ya’ve never even tried it?” Angel asked, taking a bite out of his food. It was Alastor’s famous jambalaya tonight.

“I don’t wish to damage my ears with such...such...such filth.”

“Some of it is actually pretty good ya know.”

“Of course someone from modern times would think such things,” Alastor teased.

“Not even! Died in the 1940s. The difference between me and ya is that I like ta give new things a shot.”

“Oh right, of course. I forgot you died in the forties. Hm, imagine if we met on top and didn’t even know it? That would be something,” Alastor pondered aloud.

Angel shrugged. ”Doubt it, barely ever made it out of New York.” 

“Hm, quite a shame. I didn’t venture far from New Orleans either.” 

“But how cool would that be- if we actually met each other and didn’t know it?”

“Quite ‘cool’ indeed. Although I suppose it would be unlikely. Unless of course, my radio show made its way all the way to New York.”

“Ya were a radio star? Of course ya were, what else did I expect from ya,” Angel shook his head and pretended to be disappointed. 

“Well, then what was your profession? Before singing of course. Since you seem to love judging mine so much.”

“Mobster.”

Alastor was pleasantly surprised at this news. ”You were in the mafia?”

“Don’t look so shocked. I was sorta- born inta it I guess. My dad was the boss, so of course I was expected ta one day join the family. I got out of it though, wasn’t really my thing.”

“Why not? I’ve heard rumors about your turf wars with your friend- I know you don’t shy away from violence,” Alastor’s curiosity was piqued, there was no letting go of this topic now until his hunger for answers was quenched.

“Turf wars are different- I’m only hurting, well, demons. Shitty people, y’know? I don’t mind killing, more so just...killing innocent people. People who don’t deserve it. It just never sat right with me.”

Alastor nodded. ”I understand, I- when I chose my victims, I always made sure that I knew beforehand that they were sinners. Unredeemable, even.”

“I saw it as my way of cleansing the world, making it better even. For everyone. Although, I made sure to make it a fair fight- I refrained from stalking or following them. I never wanted to have an upper hand, after all. I gave them a fair chance- and if they bested me? They got to live. But none of them ever really put up much of a fight. I thought it was poetic even, they felt what their victims had felt. I had put them in the same position,” Alastor suddenly realized he had began to rant- and quickly shut himself up.

“I...Suppose you probably don’t want to hear about this.”

“No- yer fine, Al. Murder and violence don’t scare me.”

“You said something about leaving the mafia, how did you do that exactly? I understand that it must not be easy, especially since you mentioned your father was the boss.”

“I guess I didn’t so much leave it, but more so...got kicked out. Pops don’t really like people like me,” Angel looked down, and Alastor could tell what he was implying by ‘people like me.’

Alastor could tell just by the other’s face that this was something that still tortured him even after all these years. 

The worst part though was how...ashamed Angel seemed. Like this was somehow something he could control. It saddened Alastor to see.

“Well, for what it's worth- I’m sure you were a great mobster. From what I’ve seen on the picture show, you are fantastic with guns.”

“Thanks Al,” Angel’s face softened.

“Of course, my dear.”

-

“Al, it’s three in the afternoon- what the fuck are you doing at my bar? Don’t you have better things to do than drink?”

“Don’t you as well,” Alastor sneered.

“Woah, calm down there Mr.Overlord, just tryna look out for you.”

Alastor sighed, ”I know- I shouldn’t have snapped at you. My apologies.”

“So you’re apologizing now?”

“I suppose I am. But if you mention anything about that foolish redemption propaganda- I will rip off each of your limbs. One at a time.”

“Okay okay- whatever. Why are you even here? You never drink this early.”

“I...guess I’m a bit confused.”

“Go on,” Husk prompted.

“Well, you know how Angel and I made up a bit ago, correct?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“I guess it’s just, I am a bit confused about why I feel so differently around him than I do any of my other friends.”

“What does it feel like when you’re around him?”

“Well- usually my heart begins to flutter. Sometimes I find myself just staring at him, completely zoning out. I also seem to... crave his touch. I sometimes find excuses just to feel his fur against my skin, like when I put my arms around his shoulders. Sometimes I let my hands linger a bit longer than I do with others.”

“Something else I noticed is that I feel a sort of... hole in my chest whenever I see him doing coupley things with his... partner. I assumed the reason why I held such disdain for Valentino and Angel’s relationship was because of the incident, but yet even when Valentino is simply mentioned- even when he hasn’t necessarily done something wrong, I feel angry. But a more hollow type of anger. Like...like I’m angry, but also exhausted.”

“I know I’m not sick, because if I was- why is it that I only feel such things around Angel? None of these things occur with others.”

“You’re so fucking stupid, Jesus Christ... you’re so goddamn clueless,” Husk was almost in hysterics at how clueless Alastor could be when it came to feelings.

While he already knew Alastor was an idiot when it came to feelings, he never thought it would be to this extent.

“Husker, what do you mean?” Alastor suddenly felt like Husk was laughing at a joke he wasn’t in on, and he desperately wanted to know what was so funny.

“You really don’t know, huh?”

“No- that’s why I’m asking.”

“You have a crush on Angel, dumbass.”

_Crush???_

The thought seemed laughable to Alastor, he suddenly realized why Husk looked like he was about to laugh earlier.

“You’re quite a comedian dear Husker, really-” Alastor looked up at Husk, who looked as serious as ever. 

Husk was being serious.

Alastor just stared in disbelief for a few moments. 

“Crush? Me? I’m the rad-”

“You’re the radio demon, you don’t have crushes, love is beneath you, blah blah blah,” Husk interrupted.“Cut the crap, you like Angel. That’s why you don’t feel the same way as you do with your other friends, because you want to be more than friends with him. And you’re jealous of Valentino’s relationship with him.”

“What a foolish idea you just proposed dear friend. HA! Me? Having a crush? Certainly not. And I would certainly NEVER be jealous of...him!”

“I ain’t doing this denial thing again- cause no matter what I say it won’t change your mind. You’ll figure it out on your own I guess.”

“But listen here fucker- don’t act on this crush of yours. Despite that bug obviously meaning no good, Angel don’t see it that way, and he’s head over heels for him. All you confessing would cause more problems for Angel and complicate everything. The kids already dealing with enough- he don’t need a goddamn love triangle on top of everything else.”

“Just promise me you’ll stay away from things that aren’t yours,” Husk warned.

“You have nothing to worry about Husker because I could never feel the things that you are suggesting.”

“Yeah yeah, whatever- now do you want a refill or what? I think it’s gonna be a long afternoon for the both of us,” Husk muttered. 

-

Angel rubbed Fat Nuggets belly as he hummed softly to himself, his cheek still stung a little from the slap he had received from Valentino less than an hour ago.

Angel knew it had been his fault. He should’ve known Vee was a bit more irritable today, he should’ve been more careful. 

Yet...Even Angel couldn’t deny how much more frequent Valentino’s violent outbursts were becoming. While they were barely ever worse than a few punches- sometimes the awful words he said, hurt even worse.

Angel felt as if he was always walking on eggshells, even when Valentino wasn’t around. He always feared if he did something wrong even when Vee wasn’t there- it’d somehow get back to him.

It had been a few weeks since he and Alastor had made up, and he already had to lie to him multiple times about why he was late for curfew sometimes. Angel felt extremely guilty, he knew Al worried about him- he knew he promised Al he’d tell him if Val had ever laid a single finger on him again, but…

Valentino always apologized. Always said it wouldn’t happen again.

There was no point in making a big deal out of nothing.

-

Alastor could tell that something was wrong with Angel. He had barely left his room in the past week, and even when he did he was quieter and more reserved. Barely made any flirty comments or jokes. Only spoke when spoken to. 

It was so incredibly un-Angel like.

Alastor at first suspected Angel was just going through a rough patch. While he didn’t say anything about the relapse, he didn’t even know if Angel was still using (Charlie never let anything else slip about such things), he knew that Angel was going through a lot.

Obviously, he would have bad days.

Alastor was never the best with emotions, he assumed Angel wanted alone time. So he gave him space, yet if Angel sometimes found fresh meals outside of his door- well, that was obviously just a coincidence. 

But, Alastor didn’t know if that was the best choice. Did Angel want space? 

What if Angel needed some friend time? Someone to have fun with, a distraction?

Alastor decided enough was enough, he was going to try and lift Angel’s spirits. 

So, he made a reservation, got dressed, and knocked upon Angel’s door.

He heard a bit of shuffling from inside before the door opened. Angel had bed head, and his eyes were droopy. He was probably just taking a nap. Alastor felt a ping of guilt for waking him, but he reminded himself he was just trying to help.

“Angel dear, I am inviting you to a friendly outing tonight.”

Angel blinked a few times, as the words set in. ”Yer inviting me ta...hang out?”

“Yes, if you feel up to it. I noticed you’ve been down recently, and I thought a fun outing would be good for you. If you so desire, of course.”

Angel’s eyes visibly lit up at the invite, but he noticeably dimmed once realization overcame him, ”I mean I- I would, I would love ta go, but Vee don’t like it when I go out without him or without his permission, he says it's too dangerous…He’d be upset with me if he found out…”

“I assure you he won’t dear, that is a promise.” 

Angel bit his lip as he considered his options, he had been cooped up in his room for so long...and going out somewhere with Al did sound nice...and what Val didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. 

But what if he did find out?

Angel didn’t even want to think about what would happen…

But, then again, Alastor did promise…

“Sure, just let me get ready.”

“Of course dear, by the way- I booked us a table at the Divine Palace!”

“Wait- what?!”

-

The Divine Palace was sort of a big deal in Hell, despite its cheesy name. The waiting list was decades long, but when you’re an overlord that usually shortened to a few hours.

While the food was good, most only went there for bragging rights. A show of status even.

Angel had no idea why Alastor would bring him here. Angel had never even gotten within a block of this place, and now he was actually in it?

While Angel was fretting over what to order, Alastor couldn’t help but stare at Angel. He had worn a mermaid styled lavender dress with sequins running down the middle. Paired with the outfit was a large purple hat that reminded him of his dear friend Rosie. 

The thought that others might even look at the two and assume that they’re on a date suddenly dawned on Alastor. Yet, the thought didn’t disgust him as much as he thought it would...Should he be concerned?  
Angel peered above the large menu, a sly smirk coming upon his face once he noticed Alastor was staring. ”See something ya like bambi?”

Alastor snapped out of his trance. ”Oh- uh, of course not- I mean, well, I wasn’t looking at you but...uh, the menu! Yes, what do you think you’ll be getting?”

Angel giggled at Alastors flustered state, although he decided to let Al off easy this time and go with the subject change.

“I think I’m gonna get the spaghetti and meatballs,” Angel didn’t mention how he’s felt homesick recently, where it was a common meal.

“Ah, a fine choice. I heard that’s a favorite here.”

“What are ya getting?” 

“Hm, would you really like to know?” Alastor’s smile grew menacingly.

“Actually no- I can already tell it’s gonna be something fucked up.”

Alastor laughed, as the waiter came their way. 

“What can I get you two started with to drink? And if you’re ready, I can take your order.”

“Yes, I think we’re ready. I’ll have some scotch, and the venison.” 

The waiter looked over towards Angel after quickly scribbling down Alastor’s order on their notepad, ”And you?”

“Uh- I’ll have a,” Angel looked back down at the drink menu,”A blood orange bloody mary and the um, spaghetti and meatballs.”

The waiter nodded, ”Coming right up gentlemen.”

He turned around and walked away.

“So, venison huh? Ain’t that sorta weird- since yer a deer and all.”

“I ate humans when I was a human, it only makes sense, doesn’t it?”

Angel blinked a few times as he processed what Alastor had said, before finally speaking.

“Yer fucked up, ya know that right?”

“Well, I am in Hell after all. Aren’t we all a quote, little fucked up, unquote?”

“Is that really the only time you’ll ever cuss? When yer quoting someone?”

“Of course, a real gentleman doesn’t talk like a sailor.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay grandpa.”

“Grandpa? Angel, must I remind you that you’re only about a decade younger than m-”

“Being a grandpa isn’t about age down here in Hell, it’s a mindset. Ya have the mindset of a grandpa.” Angel interrupted.

“Angel, I don’t think that’s how it works.”

“Nah, it is. Ya just act like a grandpa.”

“Alright then, if I act like a grandpa- what does that make everyone else?”

Angel thought about it for a moment before answering. ”Husk is the grumpy uncle that sleeps on the couch all the time. When he is awake though- he’ll usually play a game with ya, or tell stories. He acts like he don’t care, but he obviously does.”

“Vaggie’s def the older sister that’s super hard on everyone, but for their own good. If ya ever needed her help ta get out of a sticky situation, she’ll help- but not before yelling and cussing ya out.”

“I suppose in this little family of ours, it would make sense if Charlie was the mom. After all, she’s always looking out for everyone, as well as being supportive of everyone. She puts it upon herself to fix any problems that arise in this ‘family’,” Alastor suggested, going along with this little name game Angel had made up. 

“Niffty’s the loveable younger sister, super energetic and a bit of a troublemaker sometimes when she wants ta be. Ya give her crap sometimes, but if she ever needed ya you’d help her in a heartbeat.”

“What would that make you, then?”

“The fashionable gay cousin of course!” 

“What a funny little family we’ve created, huh dear?”

Angel shrugged,”I think it’s cool- ya know? Like, found family sorta?”

Alastor softened at Angel’s hopeful and happy expression,”I think it’s ‘cool’ too then I suppose.”  
Angel’s face darkened once he thought about his real family, the sudden happiness he had felt became soured. 

“Is any of yer family down here?” Angel asked before he could think.

Alastor was a bit surprised at the sudden change of tone in the conversation, but went along with it,”No- no they’re not. I only had my dear mother up top, and she’s, thankfully, in Heaven. What about you?”

“All of ‘em are down here, not that shocking though considering we were all in the mafia I guess.”

“You…,” Alastor faltered, not knowing if this was a conversation Angel wanted to talk about, but he decided to take the leap,”You mentioned your father earlier. I guess I’m just a bit curious about your reaction when you saw him for the first time down here in Hell.”

“I’m not too sure- it was a long time ago. I think for a moment I was scared, but then I realized he didn’t recognize me. I tried ta avoid the wrath district after that though. Haven’t seen him since.”

“Have you ever thought about getting revenge? For what he did to you?” Alastor questioned.

“Sometimes, but he’s acquired quite a bit of power down here in Hell. Of course he ain’t on the same level as the great powerful radio demon, but still. I couldn’t take him down even if I tried.”

“I could help you. Get your revenge on him, I mean.”

It was a weird proposition for Alastor to make, he had never offered to help someone achieve their revenge for nothing in return. Yet, the thought of Angel finally getting revenge on such a lowly creature sure did put a true smile on his face.

Angel only shook his head,”It ain’t worth it Al. He’d put up a damn good fight, and despite it being guaranteed he’d lose- I doubt you’d come out unscatched. I...I’m not worth all that.”

‘But you are. You’re worth so much more than you believe.’ Alastor thought. He was a bit saddened to hear Angel speak so low of himself.

Yet the sappy words seemed to get stuck in Alastor’s throat, so all he could get out was,”If you change your mind dear, let me know.”

“I will, thanks Smiles,” Angel gave Alastor a genuine smile, which made Alastor melt.

“Al- do ya regret anything that ya did in yer life? Like, if ya could, would ya go back and tell yer past self not ta do a certain thing?”

“How did that question come up?”

“I don’t know- just thinking.”

“Well, I suppose I made some poor decisions. But, I don’t regret them, I don’t think. If I changed my life on top, then perhaps I wouldn’t have met you or our little family. The past is the past dear, but- all you can really change or focus on is now.”

Angel smiled at Alastor’s encouraging words. ”Wow- the radio demon being encouraging? Keep this up and all the other overlords might think ya’ve gone soft.”

“Soft? Me? Oh never, I could snap you in half right now if I really wanted to.”

“But ya haven’t.”

“But I could.”

“But ya won’t.”

“You’re putting a lot of trust in me right now Angel.”

“I guess I am, but that’s what friends do, right?”

Friend.

It seemed to echo throughout Alastor’s head. Friend, friend, friend.

Why did that hurt him to hear or even say?

He had accepted that he was friends with Angel already. They were friends.

Right?

Alastor was happy. He was happy to be talking to Angel. He was happy they were friends.

Right?

Angel didn’t even notice the internal down spiral Alastor was having at that point. ”Al, I know yer new ta this feeling thing- but I just wanted ta let ya know that ya’ve been a great friend. I mean- ya got me out of the hotel for something other than work, and I really appreciate that. I’m having a great time.”

Alastor was Angel’s friend.

Friend, that was it. 

All there would ever be.

Friend.

“Al, ya okay? Ya look like yer freaking out or something,” Angel asked, concern laced through his tone.

“What? Oh, of course I’m okay! Angel, it was- well it was my pleasure. What are...friends, for?”

Suddenly, Angel’s phone began to ring. Angel quickly answered it, as his face visibly drooped once he saw who it was. 

“Hey Vee, what’s shaking?” Angel asked in an overly cheerful and energetic voice.

Alastor couldn’t hear what Valentino was saying, but he could tell it wasn’t good news by Angel’s facial expressions. 

“But I’m not supposed ta come in unt-”

Alastor swore he could hear yelling on the other line if he listened hard enough. 

Typical Valentino, always yelling, always complaining. Always whining. Like a little toddler even. 

Valentino was an annoying, little toddler, who whined if things didn’t go exactly his way.

“Yes boss, I’ll be over in ten.”

With that, Angel hung up.

“Val wants me ta come in early tonight, so sorry- but I gotta cut this short.”

Before Alastor could even think about what he was saying, the questions flew out of his mouth, ”Why do you always listen to him? You told me he wouldn’t erase you unless it was for a really good reason. Why, Angel?”

Angel looked over at Alastor, and after a beat of silence, he answered.

“Because I love him.” 

Yes, there it was. 

The sentence that pained Alastor to hear from his very core.

Angel loved Valentino. 

_He doesn’t love you, not in the way you want him to._

That thought scared Alastor, but he knew it couldn’t be true, he’s just jumping to conclusions. There must be a perfectly logical explanation for his feelings other than...that.

“Well uh- I might be late tonight, so don’t stay up too late waiting, okay? I’m sure Charlie will understand if I’m late once.”

“No, don’t worry dear, I’ll wait up for you. It is my job, after all.” Alastor didn’t mention how he just wanted to make sure Angel came back in one piece.

Angel nodded,”Yeah- um, thanks again for inviting me. I had a great time.”

As Angel walked out of the restaurant, the waiter finally arrived with their food and drinks. Alastor just stared at the plate of spaghetti sat at the, now empty, spot. 

Alastor slid a few hundreds, and got up to leave. Not even touching his plate or drink. He was suddenly not hungry.

-

While Alastor was deep in thought while walking around town, an unknowing demon bumped into him. 

“Dammit- stay in your lane bucko!”

Once the said demon looked up at the other, he suddenly realized his mistake.

“I- I’m so so-sorry sir, I- I wasn’t looking,” The demon began to apologize, yet deep down he knew it was too late. 

_Stay in your lane._

_Stay away from things that aren’t yours._

_Angel loves Valentino, not you._

Suddenly, a wave of uncontrollable anger came over Alastor.

“Oh sir, you need not worry. I will gladly remind you of your place, and how to stay in ẏ̷͈̼̹̩̤̫̝̇͝͝ô̷̩̪͆̈͝͝û̸̟̺̮̍̌̒̐̋r̸̺̆̂̎̄̏ ̵̫̣̹̜̫̟̹̎̓̈́͆l̸͈̐̅͆͘a̷̡̺̟͎͖̯͙̅̑ń̶͇̥̭̅e̶̛̻̟͈̣̰̻̊.”

-

“Ple-please! Please I- it was an accident, I prom-promise!!” The lowly sinner pleaded.

“Oh ha ha, you didn’t think it was an accident before! What was it you said to me? Ah yes, ‘stay in your lane bucko’.”

“What a silly little mistake this demon has made, one he will surely never make again. Let this be a lesson to all of my dear listeners, stay out of my lane.”  
Alastor grabbed a sharp knife, his menacing and evil smile growing.

Tonight he was going to have fun.

As Alastor walked over towards his newest victim, he seemingly morphed into Valentino. 

Perfect.

_“I can’t stand his whining, where's his binky now?”_

Alastor made his way through his left arm, it gave a satisfying pop as he went through the bone. The demon gave a blood-curdling scream, Alastor could tell he was about to pass out from the pain and blood loss, and usually, he tried to keep them awake the entire time- but tonight? He simply couldn’t care.

_“And loving him seems tiring.”_

Alastor imagined this low life demon was him- the roach. That rat. Despite deep down knowing it was nothing more than an illusion, he allowed himself to indulge in this daydream for just a bit longer. 

He gleefully smiled as he discarded the arm to the side, Alastor wedged the victim’s jaw open, and began to slice off his tongue. 

_You won’t be able to yell at mon ange now, will you?_

_“So boy- just love me now, now, now.”_

Alastor laughed, as blood began pooling inside the other demon’s mouth where his tongue used to be. A bit of it even dripped down the side of his mouth. 

_“Someone told me, stay away from things that aren’t yours.”_

_“But was he yours if he wanted me so bad?”_

Alastor dug the blood-stained knife into the victim’s heart, digging it as deep as it could go. Then, soon- he pulled it out again, and repeatedly stabbed him once more. And once more. 

Alastor felt as if this hunger was overcoming him- a hunger to kill. Not just kill anyone, no no no- he wanted Valentino dead.  
Because of the lack of holy weaponry though, temporary death would have to do... for now.

_“Pacify him! He’s getting on my nerves!”_

Alastor tilted the knife ever so gently to the side. 

_“You don’t love him, stop lying with those words!”_

Alastor felt something wet and warm slide down his cheeks, and he reached up to touch the mysterious liquid- only to see it was an oil colored tear.

Alastor was crying. 

Alastor was _crying._

This only enraged Alastor even more, as he pulled the knife out- and shoved it down his victim’s throat. 

When Alastor welcomed these feelings- he knew that would make him vulnerable to the... less favorable ones. He just wished it didn’t hurt this much. He wanted them gone- he wanted the stupid lump in his throat to just go away. The tears to evaporate. The slipping smile to go back up in its rightful place. 

_You’re growing weak._

_“Pacify him!”_

_This is all your fault, you let your guard down._

_You hurt Angel. He cried because of you._

_“He’s getting on my nerves!”_

_You’re jealous._

_How pathetic, jealous of Valentino of all demons? Over something as silly as affections?_

_You can’t protect Angel, because the only thing he needs protection from is you._

_“You don’t love him-”_

_Angel does love Valentino, but he doesn’t love you. He could never love you, of all people. How could he ever love someone who is so emotionally unavailable?_   
_You can’t even do something as simple as admitting your feelings for Angel Dust! Everyone was right about you, you’re old news._

_You can’t handle the truth._

  
_Because…_

  
**_Husk was right._ **

“̴̧̢̧̡̛̠̞̲̰̥͔̖̲̦̜̗̰͉͚͉̜̘̜͎̮̪̓̋͗͑̎́̆͂̔̑̾̏̆̊̅͒͗̔̉̎́͆̍̓̕̕͘͠S̵̨̛̞̣̭̘̭̮̣̫̰̣̫̳̞̱̹̺͕̪̋͗̊́̿̍͑͋̈́̂̊͂͊̕͝͠ͅḨ̸̧̢͍̞̳͓̣̥̱̰̙̮̩̼̼̹̺͎͓̥͙̻̯̻̝͍͉̬̜̝̮̰͓͉̮̹̩͕̝͇̺͔̣̰̔͒̏̽̊̌̊̚͘̕U̸̢͚̭͖̤̞͊͒̄͆̍̒͛̊̔̓̽͆̿̄̾̅͒̋̏̒̌̐̃̈́̂̂͆͘̚̚͝͝Ţ̶̨̡̢̨̧̧̛͓̬̝̫̞̖̜̲͇͓͙̜̰̠͈̲̬̹̰̯͔͚̪̮̩̪͕̤̩̮̞̞͓̼̺̗̺͙͓͙̹̟̗̦̠͙̼̒͆̈́͆̈͑̓̾̔̂̿͋͂͗͑͛̑̈̄̆̃̾̿̀̆̌̾͗̄͌̅̀̇̕̕̕̕̚͝͠͠ͅͅͅ ̴̜̟̰̪͎͚͈͖͎͍̟͇͙̫͉͂̆̂̇̇̂̏̓̓͂̾̈̇̋̌̈́̇͂̇̑̇̎̏̏͑̔̒́͌̉̿͐̒̾͆̇̐̇̎̂̈́͌̈̚̚͘̚͘̕̕͘͜͜͜͠͝͝͝Ų̴̩̮̻̙͈͇̭̩͔̙͓̼̙̗̯̟̜̘̲̥̩̲̯̮̮̖͙̉̇̀̃̑͐͊̏̅̇̿̒͌̌̆̚ͅP̵̡̨̛̺͎̣̤͇̤̦̦̭̰̗͚̙͐̈́̾̆͑͑̈́̅̈́̀̌͋͂̔̄̈͊͠͝͝ͅͅ!

All at once, the voices quieted, the only thing that could be heard in the room was Alastor’s ragged breaths and racing heart, as well as the dripping blood into the large puddle onto the floor. 

_“Stop lying with those words.”_

After a few moments of awkward silence, Alastor cleared his throat and wiped the tears away from his eyes. ”Well, dear listeners- today was quite eventful, indeed! You all had the pleasure of getting a song along with today’s broadcast of our latest victim, Va- I mean, this mystery demon!”

“Stay tuned!”

Not many tuned in to that abrupt broadcast since it wasn’t a part of Alastor’s already planned schedule, plus it was rather short too. Less than an hour. Alastor usually made plans on how he would torture someone- how he would drag it out for as long as possible.

Many thought this sudden broadcast was one of his sloppiest works.

Too emotional even.

Some even dared to say they could hear quiet sniffles right before it ended.

Those who dared somehow were swiftly silenced. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> before I end this chapter, I just want to give a very special thanks to my new beta- andythorn9 on Instagram!! They've been really helpful with this chapter, and I really appreciate it. :))
> 
> songs used in this chap:  
> pacify her- Melanie Martinez (I changed a few lyrics/words to match the characters btw, just to let yall know)


	10. Ch 9. Faith, Trust, and the heartbreak of Angel Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a nasty fight, Charlie sits down all of the Happy Hotel staff to talk out their feelings. Knowing this group of hazbins, this will either go very well, or very badly... Meanwhile, Angel questions if Valentino really loves him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: brief mentions of physical abuse, and in the final section there's a brief mention/depiction of self harm. It's short and nothing too graphic, but its notably enough for a trigger warning. 
> 
> Wow- I don't think I've ever updated this quickly lmao. Enjoy it- this won't be an often occurrence.

While Angel slid his black shorts back on, he could hear Valentino mumble, ”Don’t leave Angie.”

“I can’t, my curfew.”

“Angel,” Valentino beckoned, not listening to his reasoning. 

Angel signed, before grabbing his phone and sending a quick text to Charlie that he wouldn’t make it home tonight. 

He hated making them worry- but he was dating Valentino, he should be able to spend the night with him sometimes. 

Angel shut his phone off, he knew the others would try and call him, and he didn’t need his phone irritating him the entire night.

Angel climbed into the spot next to Valentino on a large red bed with heart-shaped pillows. He felt Val’s slender arms wrap around his torso, it felt almost suffocating as he pulled him in close. 

Angel didn’t feel any warmth, any love, more like a void of love even.

“Vee...do ya love me?”

The question startled even Angel. The words seemed to just...come out though. 

Valentino had said he loved Angel before, but the words always seemed like such empty promises. Something only said when Valentino was apologizing. 

Just once Angel wanted to just...hear it. Hear those three little words, no motive behind them. No goal or plan. Just...for no reason. Just simply because it was true.

“Go to sleep Angelcakes.”

Angel didn’t sleep at all that night.

-  
Alastor rapped his hands against the bar counter as he waited, it was almost five in the morning now. Almost five hours since Angel was supposed to be back. Alastor had expected this though, which is why tonight he had decided to prepare brownies.

While they were certainly too sweet for Alastor’s taste- he knew how much Angel liked sweets. Plus, brownies still tasted good cold, so it was a good option since he didn’t know when Angel would be back.

Alastor tried not to worry- Angel had warned him, after all. But with each passing moment, the hole in his stomach seemed to get bigger and bigger as he became more and more worried.

_What if Angel doesn’t come back?_

_What if he’s been exterminated somehow?_

_What if-_

“Are you okay? Your static is super loud. It hurts my ears,” a sudden voice cut through Alastor’s intruding thoughts.

Alastor turned around on the barstool towards Niffty,”Ah- good morning Niffty. Why are you up so early?”

“I always get up at this time. Why are you up this early? Why are you even here? Aren’t you usually back at your radio tower by now?”

“I’m...waiting. For Angel Dust,” Alastor answered. 

“He hasn’t returned yet? Isn’t it like way past his curfew? Do miss Charlie and miss Vaggie know? Oh- I’m sure miss Vaggie will be super upset. She makes a huge mess sometimes when she’s upset.”

“I was hoping we wouldn’t tell Vagatha or Charlotte.”

Niffty tilted her head in confusion,”I thought the whole point of you being on curfew duty was so you could make sure Mr. Angel didn’t miss curfew. You’re supposed to let miss Charlie know if he’s late. What’s the point of being on curfew duty then if you don-” suddenly, things seemed to click for Niffty as she remembered the conversation she had with Alastor a bit ago.

Niffty smiled as she jumped on top of the barstool next to Alastor. ”Unless...You didn’t volunteer for curfew duty to make sure Mr. Angel makes it back on time.” 

“That’s silly dear, why else would I volunteer? The whole point of the job ‘curfew duty’ is to ensure curfew is followed. There are no ulterior motives here.”

“Are you sure?” Niffty probed, ”Are you sure Mr. Angel isn’t really ‘Antonio’?”

Alastor sighed, realizing Niffty had caught him. ”What gave it away?”

“Well first off- I knew it was a lie right away when you said a ‘friend of yours’ was having some problems. You don’t have that many friends, sorry but it’s the truth- and I already know all of your friends. None of them know anyone named Antonio. Plus, it was just super obvious. You can be a really bad liar sometimes.”

Alastor just shook his head as he stared down at the ground. ”You caught me red-handed darling. I...I suppose you’re correct, I’m not only doing this just to ensure some silly curfew is followed.”

“It’s just...well,” Alastor cleared his throat, ”First off, I greatly enjoy Angel’s company. He’s a good…”

Alastor hesitated as he thought over the horrible word ‘friend’, his actions the night before still haunted him. He hated how he let himself show such weakness... He hated how he was still actually considering Husk’s words. 

“He’s very nice to talk to and hang out with. So that’s one reason, but...I’m also, well- I’m worried. Not too long ago he came back from work past curfew- well, injured.”

Niffty’s face softened to one of concern. ”Is he okay? I mean- now of course. Obviously, he wasn’t okay then.”

“Yes yes, he’s fine now. But...I guess I’m just afraid that one day he simply- well…”

Alastor took a deep breath.

“Won’t show up.”  
-

Alastor paced around the lobby, keeping his head low to the ground.

Charlie sat on the couch and kept refreshing her phone over and over. Waiting for another text. She tried calling him- but it always went straight to voicemail.

Vaggie sat on the other side of Charlie and gently ran her fingers through her long blonde hair. 

Niffty scurried around the lobby, trying to busy herself with cleaning. But even she was starting to show signs of worry, as she kept dusting the same spot over and over almost manically. 

While Husk just waited at the bar, nursing a bottle of cheap booze.

Suddenly, the front door opened, and everyone turned towards it. They all felt relief when they saw it was Angel. 

Alastor was the first to run over towards Angel, quickly looking him over to make sure he didn’t have any injuries, which thankfully- he appeared to be completely fine. Alastor let out a sigh of relief.

Niffty ran over and hugged his legs tightly, muttering something under her breath. The duster had been completely forgotten as she had dropped it on the floor as she rushed towards him.

Husk didn’t move, but even he seemed to visibly relax just a little bit.

Charlie wiped the tears around her eyes, while Vaggie glared. Everyone could tell she was angry.

After a moment, she finally spoke, or perhaps yelled is the right word. ”Where the fuck where you?! We’ve been waiting all morning, worried sick!”

“I was hanging out with my boyfriend alright?! Jeez, I texted Charl’s…”

“You didn’t tell her when you were coming back- or even who you were with!”

“Yer all worrying too much-”

“You’re not worrying enough! You could’ve been hurt, or worse!” Vaggie cut Angel off.

“She’s right, we were all so worried about you! I mean, Mr. Alastor told me the last time you came back late you had gotten hurt-” Niffty piped up before she got interrupted by Angel. 

Angel turned towards Alastor, ”Ya TOLD her?!”

Alastor’s ears flattened, ”I- I was just- I’m sorry Angel, I shouldn’t have told her. There’s no excuse. But dear, Vagatha is right, we were all terrified for your wellbeing-”

“Don’t change the subject, I thought I could trust ya!” 

“We thought we could trust you as well! You- you didn’t answer our calls or texts or anything! I thought- I thought you were somewhere out there hurt or, or de- de- or worse!” Alastor found it practically impossible to say the ‘dead’ word. 

“I was with Vee okay?! Nothing bad would’ve happe-”

“Oh wow, how comforting- you’re totally safe with the guy who carved into your goddamn stomach!” Vaggie screamed.

“Vags-” Charlie tried to interrupt but was soon cut off by Angel, who seemed to just be in the interrupting mood today. 

“He made a mistake!”

“A mistake is when you spill a gallon of milk- not abuse! He’s no good for you!”

“The only reason he did it was because of ME. I messed up, it was MY fault!”

The room went silent, no one even dared to breathe. 

“Angel, you can’t possibly think that was your fault…” Alastor said in a soft and gentle voice, a feeling of concern rushed through him.

“Well, I do! So can everyone just STOP reminding me every two seconds of that night?! Stop reminding me how much of a fuckup I am!”

“Angel I…”

Before Vaggie could finish, Angel stormed out of the hotel.

-

Angel soon found himself at Valentino’s apartment, a place he knew very well.

Angel didn’t really know where else to go. He knew he had to go back to the hotel eventually- Nuggets would be hungry soon…

But...an hour or two couldn’t hurt. He just didn’t want to face everyone, not now.

So, he swallowed what little pride he had left, and knocked. 

It took a moment for the door to open.

“Oh, hey Angie baby. Why are you doing here?”

“Can I...can I stay for a bit?”

-

While Valentino counted his stack of bills, Angel was pulled onto his lap. Valentino’s hand snaked around the curve of Angel’s back, keeping him close in a tight grip.

Angel leaned his head on Valentino’s shoulder, a soft sigh escaped his lips.

Although, something was...wrong.

Valentino smelled of cologne, a cologne that he never wore. Valentino wasn’t the cologne type, he wore a variety of fancy, smelly, perfumes- but never cologne.

Angel knew it was small, a silly little detail that probably didn’t mean anything.

But he really couldn’t ignore the feeling that began bubbling up in his chest. 

“Vee, ya never answered my question last night…”

“What are you talking about Angie?” Val asked, his eyes never wavering from the cash in his hand.

“Last night, I asked ya if ya loved me. Ya never answered.”

“That’s a stupid question, I’ve said I did before, haven’t I?”

“I know...but it seems like ya only say it after we get inta a fight...ya know? I just...I just want ta hear it from ya just for the sake of hearing it.”

“That’s silly baby. Now let daddy focus, alright?”

“Yes, daddy.”

“Good boy.”

Despite Angel shutting up about the whole ordeal, that didn’t mean he had let it go. 

Because it wasn’t silly, not to him.

Why couldn’t Valentino just humor his antics?

_Does Valentino really love you?_

Angel was startled by this intrusive thought. 

Well of course he loved Angel.

…

Right?

-

Angel soon found himself at the hotel about an hour later. He sighed, he hated returning after a fight…

Angel swallowed the fear that began to rise in his throat and walked into the lobby. Oh, how familiar this scene was from earlier that morning…

Guilt instantly gnawed Angel from inside once he saw everyone look up at him with tired, hopeful eyes.

“I...I’m sorry.”

Was all Angel could get out before he turned around and dashed up to his room.

He tried to ignore their voices as they called out for him.

-

Alastor felt absolutely horrible. 

He knew he shouldn’t have told Niffty, it was wrong- and intrusive of him. 

But worst of all is that he just made the problem worse by yelling at Angel.

When Angel left- he wanted to go after him, but Charlie had stopped him. She had told him that Angel needed to blow off some steam.

That didn’t stop Alastor from sending his shadow...just to make sure he was safe. 

And then when Angel did return and disappeared off into his room- it only made Alastor feel even more guilty.

He had wanted to talk things out. He had wanted to apologize, to explain. 

But, Angel had locked his bedroom door and hadn’t made a single peep since he returned.

The rest of the hotel staff just sat at the dining table, none of them made a move or spoke. They just sat and stared.  
Finally, Charlie broke the silence. ”This...it’s all a part of recovery.” 

“What if he…” Vaggie’s voice almost broke, as she tried her best not to cry. ”What if he doesn’t...want to get better?”

Everyone looked up at Vaggie, the usually tough and strong girl about to break down seemed to break everyone else down too. 

“He...he told me that he just...he doesn’t want to recover. I don’t- I don’t know if he just said that, or if he meant it...because I just, I walked away. I walked away when he needed me.”

Charlie wrapped a comforting arm around Vaggie. ”We all said and did things we shouldn’t have. It’s okay- everyone makes mistakes.”

Charlie’s words seemed to only make Vaggie feel worse.

If only she knew, Vaggie thought.

Angel quietly listened to everyone speaking, he had convinced himself to come down- he knew he couldn’t avoid everyone forever, but...Now that he was right outside the doorway, he found himself too scared to enter. 

Finally, he gulped nervously and walked into the dining room and let his presence me known.

All eyes fell on him, ”Hiya guys, what’s shaking?”

Angel tried to speak with his usual confidence, but it just came out wobbly and awkward. Fake even.

Charlie waved Angel over, her voice was firm as she spoke. ”Come sit down- we need to talk.”

Angel obeyed, instantly noticing how Charlie had gone into therapist mode. 

“I think right now we all need an open space to talk, to vent out our feelings. So, who would like to go first?”

Everyone was a bit shocked and even a bit offended that they were doing such a childish and elementary activity.

But, Charlie seemed to be serious about it... 

“I guess...I guess I’ll go,” Vaggie broke the tense and awkward silence.

“I...I didn’t like it when Angel didn’t show up last night.”

“How did that make you feel?”

“I felt worried and frightened.”

“Because…” Charlie prompted. 

“Because whenever Angel is late, he’s usually hurt.”

“That’s not tru-” Angel blurted out before being cut off by Charlie.

“Angel, now is not your turn to speak. You may talk after Vaggie is done.”

“I just...I’m just worried about Angel, alright? I feel like one day if we’re not careful someone will...they’ll...they’ll exterminate him or something. I think that every time he steps out of this hotel is the last time I’ll ever see him.”

Charlie gave Vaggie a comforting shoulder pat.

“Angel- would you like to go next?”

“Yeah- yeah, whatever. Look I- I didn’t know ya worried that much Vags. I know that sometimes I come back in a...bad shape. And I know that I should’ve let ya guys know where I was at- although I guess I just..I wish ya guys trusted me a bit more, ya know?”

“And I just...want ta move on from what happened, and I don’t want everyone ta know about my worst moments. I, I guess that it’s Chacha.” 

Charlie nodded,”Good job Angel- who would like to go next?”

“I volunteer, if I may.”

“Go on Alastor, the floor’s yours.”

“First off, I want to apologize to you Angel, dear. I shouldn’t have talked about such private moments with others.”

“Secondly- I agree with miss Vagatha. For once.”

Vaggie shot Alastor a dark glare.

“We were all immensely worried about you, since you didn’t answer any of Charlotte's texts, nor calls. Sometimes I worry that…”

Alastor swallowed harshly, sharing such...feelings, in such a public setting activated his fight or flight response. And, despite what many would believe- Alastor usually picks flight.

Alastor never chose battles he knew he could not win- he was prideful, that much he will admit- but he never overestimated his abilities. If there was a slight chance he thought he couldn’t come out on top, he simply wouldn’t do it.

But, this was about a matter of feelings. Which was still a strange concept to him.

It was an entirely new territory, which meant new rules. He had promised everyone he would try and be better at this ‘handling your feelings’ thing, and he intended to keep that promise.

So, he fought.

“I worry that you’ll never return. I worry that you’ll show up with a holy blade stuck in your chest- despite that possibility being so completely unlikely due to the time of year, it still is a legitimate worry I have. Or perhaps you’ll just decide to leave one day,” Alastor listed off his most prevalent worries. 

“While I know these worries certainly aren’t in any way your responsibility nor fault, I just wish you kept us in the loop, as some may say. But, you are also right- I know I do need to trust you more and have more faith in you.”

“Thank you for sharing. Anyone else?” Charlie looked around the group. 

“Me! Me! I know what I wanna say now!” Niffty stood on top of her chair and began jumping up and down excitedly.

Husk watched, a small and almost unnoticeable smile growing on his face.

Charlie motioned for Niffty to continue.

“I want to say sorry for mentioning Angel’s personal business like that, I should’ve known better. I’m happy that you’re okay Angel, just next time, please leave a note or something. Just not on anywhere other than the fridge- because I always clean the counters and floors every night right before you leave for work, and I’d hate to have to wipe off that sticky part that always seems to get left behind from sticky notes, even if people tell me there’s no leftover-”

“Well thank you Niffty for sharing. Husk, do you feel comfortable going?” Charlie stopped Niffty, before she could go into a whole rant about the small amount of sticky residue left behind by sticky notes.

“I guess,” Husk grumbled, his grumpy demeanor already coming back full force.  
“Look- I couldn’t give less of a fuck about any of you. But...just next time let us know where you are, kid. Not that I care it’s just...I just would rather not have the princess breathing down my neck every five fucking minutes asking if I saw you.”

While Husk wouldn’t ever admit this aloud, he was worried just like everyone else was. No matter how many times he told people that he had lost the ability to love years ago- there always seemed to be a few exceptions…

And goddammit, Husk had learned to love everyone in this hotel like they were his own family. Maybe in some ways, they were.

“Well, I guess we’re done with that-”

Charlie cut Vaggie off, as she began to speak. ”Angel, when you didn’t return back to the hotel last night, didn’t answer any of my calls or texts- you worried all of us very much. While you may not believe it, everyone here does love you. Next time, make sure you let us know about where you are. And in return, we will trust you to do the right thing, as long as you continue to trust us.”

“Vaggie, your feelings of anger were valid, but there's a time and a place for yelling and shouting, and that wasn’t it. I know sometimes you’re unsure about what to say or do, but remember that sometimes the best solution is the simplest. Talk it out, have faith that others will understand where you’re coming from,” Charlie smiled and planted a warm kiss on her girlfriend’s forehead. Vaggie seemed to melt under the contact. 

“Niffty, Husk, and Alastor- your feelings of worry were also valid.”

“I wasn’t worri-” Husk began. 

“You had good reason to fear for Angel’s wellbeing, and you had a right to be upset- but yelling and getting upset at him won’t help in this situation.”

Everyone knew Charlie was right- and they were glad to have someone like her in the hotel, despite what they may say sometimes.

Sometimes they didn’t know what they would do without her- she was basically the glue keeping them all together.

-

It had been a few weeks since their fight, and things have seemed to return to normal for everyone in the hotel.

Well, almost…  
Everyone in the hotel could tell that Angel was still in a bit of a slump, despite their attempts to cheer him up.

Angel seemed almost robotic at this point. He never left the hotel for anything aside from work, barely even left his room actually. Sometimes days would go by before anyone saw him.

Alastor was usually the only person that saw him on a daily occurrence, thanks to curfew duty. But even then- Angel seemed to be withdrawn. Almost frightened even. He’d flinch whenever someone raised their voice or moved suddenly. 

And Alastor had tried to help cheer him up a bit with food- but Angel rarely ever took more than a few bites, if even that. He says that he’s been on a stricter diet, and he couldn’t afford to cheat.

Angel barely even spoke more than a few words anymore.

It saddened Alastor to see- but he didn’t really know what to do, or even what to make out of the situation. Alastor had tried asking him out to a friendly outing again, but Angel said he didn’t feel like it. 

All Alastor knew to do was to be there, when Angel was ready for him.

Tonight, Angel returned to the hotel a few minutes past curfew with a solemn look on his face, but Alastor decided he wouldn’t say anything about his tardiness.

“Ah, welcome back Angel! I know you’re on a diet, but certainly, everyone deserves a treat every once in a while, so I prepared you an all-natural strawberry smoothie!”

“I don’t know…” 

Angel was afraid of Valentino finding out...

“Dear, it’s all-natural, besides- surely a little cheating is allowed every now and then.”

Angel looked down at the cup, a defeated sigh escaped his mouth, ”Thanks, Al.”

Angel took the offered cup and began to slowly drink it.

Alastor only watched- he didn’t know what to say. What to do in this situation.

“Angel I...are you okay? If you don’t wish to talk about it, then that’s okay as well, but I just want you to know that I’m here for you.”

Angel shrugged, as he licked a few drops of smoothie from his lips. ”I...I guess I’m okay? Nothing’s gone wrong exactly I just…”

“Feel upset? Numb?” Alastor filled in.

Angel nodded, ”Yeah- numb works. I don’t know why...well, there might be one reason- but it’s nothing…”

“What is it dear?”

“It’s silly.”

“Your problems are never silly to me darling.”

Angel sighed, he knew for the next part he’d have to be careful with his words. He didn’t want Alastor to get mad at him…

“Well, I have this friend who is...well, he’s been really distant recently. Barely speaking to me, when he does he’s always short and to the point. I also suspect he’s been hanging out with...other guys, and not telling me about it.”

“I guess I used to feel like I was, well...the starring role in his life I guess? Now I’m just some...well, some stupid supporting role.”

“Do I know this demon?”

“No!” Angel exclaimed quickly, yet he soon realized he probably sounded suspicious. 

“I mean, uh- no. You don’t,” he said in a much calmer and forced tone. 

“Well, it seems to me that you’re very much invested in this friendship, while he isn’t. While I may not be the most skilled in this area of skill, I do know perhaps a good talk may help.”

“I also know that you’re very much worthy of the starring role in someone’s life, if he doesn’t understand that- then he’s not worth your time.”

A small smile crept onto Angel’s face. ”Thanks Smiles...can I uh- give ya a hug?”

Alastor nodded, he didn’t see why not. He was close with Angel, and he wasn’t in one of his moods where he hated any sort of physical contact.

Angel wrapped his arms around Alastor’s torso, burying his head into Alastor’s midsection. The close contact made Alastor turn beat red, yet he didn’t dislike it. The exact opposite in fact.

Angel’s soft, warm fur against his. The way the pleasant scent of strawberries and sugar and everything nice filled the air. The gentle rise and fall of Angel’s chest. 

A selfish part of Alastor wanted _more._

 _More_ than just a hug. 

He wanted to be _more_ than friends.

Then, Angel left the hug. He removed his hands from Alastor’s torso, making Alastor feel cold, inside and out. 

“Thanks for this little talk...I know that I’m not the easiest person to be friends with, but I appreciate ya. Like, a lot.”

“O-of course Angel,” Alastor tried to compose himself and the racing thoughts in his head. 

“Good night dear- sleep tight, don’t let the demons bite.”

“Night bambi.”

-

“Good job today Angie.”

Valentino zipped up his pants and grabbed his red coat from the hook. 

Angel sighed, this was as much intimacy as the two ever did together anymore. No soft and gentle kisses, no words of encouragement, no hand holding- just sex. 

“Vee I uh- can I ask you something?” 

“What is it Angelcakes? Daddy’s on a tight schedule today. You know how I don’t like to be late.”

“Um, forget it. I’ll talk ta ya later.”

“Yeah sure, you got some clients scheduled soon baby- be ready.”

With that, Valentino left Angel in his room. The large apartment made Angel feel lonely- empty inside even. He wrapped the red sheets around himself, trying to make himself feel something- anything. Just a little hint of warmth. But all he felt was a chilling cold that just wouldn’t go away. 

_“You’re hard to hug, tough to talk to.”_

Angel swung his legs to the side of the large bed, getting up from his spot. The sheets dragged on the floor, behind him. Like a large velvet red cape almost. 

_“And I never fall asleep. When you’re in my bed- all you give me is a heartbeat.”_

Tears began to prick at Angel’s eyes, but he attempted to swallow them down. Angel knew he had clients scheduled soon- but he just couldn’t find the energy to care. He didn’t seem to have the energy for anything anymore. He felt like a vacuum of energy. 

Angel stumbled over towards Valentino’s large mirror and began examining himself.

His eyes looked empty, His usually bright pink spots on his fur were dull. His fur wasn’t as shiny as usual. Angel tried to muster up his usual smile, but it just looked fake and awkward. He quickly let it drop. He didn’t feel like Angel Dust anymore, he felt like he was Anthony trapped in this body. In this life. 

He felt like the boy who had hidden inside the closet (literally and figuratively) while his father was upset at him. He felt like the boy who wore long sleeves all the time, even during summer- because he didn’t want his other family members to worry about what his father was doing. He felt like the boy who had an emotionless and almost dead face as he pulled the trigger for the first time, because he knew he didn’t have a choice. 

Angel Dust was a lie- a hoax. He thought he had changed. But no matter how high he got- he always would hit rock bottom right where he belonged. He was still Anthony. 

Is this who he had become? Why did he look so...unhappy?

_“I’ve turned into a statue, and it makes me feel depressed.”_

Angel knew things hadn’t been the same recently with Valentino- ever since he had grown so distant. 

_“Cause the only time you open up is when we get undressed.”_

A sudden surge of anger ran through Angel’s veins. Why couldn’t Valentino just say it? Why couldn’t he just tell him that he loved him? Why did he barely speak to Angel anymore? Why does he always smell like cologne he doesn’t own?!

_“You don’t love me- big fucking deal.”_

Angel kicked the mirror in a fit of anger, it shattered into a few pieces at the hard kick. 

_“I’ll never tell, you how I feel.”_

Angel picked up off of the shards and tightened his grip around it. Cold blood oozed from the palm of his hand where the shard had cut him. It stung, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to feel something, **anything.**

_“You don’t love me- not a big deal.”_

Tears began to stream down Angel’s face as he watched the blood drip onto Valentino’s carpet. He knew Valentino would be upset at him for messing up his floors- but he couldn’t care. Not now.

_“I’ll never tell you how I feel.”_

Angel threw the shard against the wall suddenly, it made a loud **clang** as it collided against it. 

_“It almost feels like a joke to play out a part.”_

Angel walked over towards the desk, which was filled with various makeup products and perfumes. In a sudden burst of anger he pushed everything off the desk, everything clattered onto the floor. Some glass bottles even shattered, spilling the smelly and sticky liquid all over the carpet. 

_“When you are not the starring role in someone else’s heart.”_

_“You know I’d rather walk alone-”_ Angel dropped the soft sheet that covered his shoulders to the floor, he felt suffocated by it. Just like he did by Valentino…

_“Then play a supporting role.”_

Angel angrily swiped at the tears coming down his face. He hated how Valentino made him feel this way. He hated how he let Valentino make him feel this way.

He hated how he was genuinely unsure whether or not Valentino even loved him anymore.

_“If I can’t get the starring role.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song used in this chap:  
> Starring role- Marina and the diamonds
> 
> This chapter was beta read by andythorn9 on Instagram!! Thanks for the help!!


	11. Ch 10. Peaches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angel uses the safe word he'd never thought he'd have to use, Niffty worries for Husk and his health, while Alastor learns that Angel and Charlie haven't exactly been honest with him.
> 
> Among all of this, seeds of doubt are planted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> major TW for physical abuse for this chap. It's pretty heavy compared to others, so read at your own risk.

Angel sighed, as he read through a magazine. Fat Nuggets slept peacefully at the foot of his bed. 

Over the past week- not much had changed in terms of him and Valentino. Valentino was making an effort to see him less and less, even when he did see him there was barely any real conversation.

It saddened Angel- to see someone he loved so much, just drift away for seemingly no reason. Yet, a part of him had accepted this already. Things weren’t so bad anyways- with Valentino seeing him less and less, that meant less and less violent outbursts.

Was it selfish of Angel to be sorta relieved?

He thought it did, in fact, he felt awful. This was Valentino, his boyfriend- surely he shouldn’t be partially glad for his odd disappearance. Yet…

-

It had been a normal enough day for Niffty, she had just finished deep cleaning some of Alastor’s shirts (you don’t want to know _how_ long it takes to get out bloodstains from pure white shirts) and she was about to start cleaning up all of the cobwebs, (and maybe get herself a bit of a snack, she’d been craving some bugs) until she heard loud retches coming from the bar.

Out of pure curiosity, Niffty followed the sound and soon found Husk dry heaving over the countertop. Niffty’s eye widened, as she rushed over towards Husk. 

“Oh my, you sound absolutely horrible! Are you alright? Wait- one second,” Niffty hurried towards the corner and grabbed the garbage can, and hurried right back, placing it near Husk.

“Here- lean over this, in case you puke.”

Husk obliged, not having the strength to argue. Niffty comfortingly rubbed his back, until the heaving subsided as well as the coughs. Husk ended up not puking anything, probably because he hadn’t eaten much all day. He’d felt nauseous. 

Husk wiped the spit from his mouth as he looked over at Niffty, ”Uh- thanks for that.”

“You should really tell Mr. Alastor about this,” Niffty placed her hand over Husk’s forehead, ”You’re burning up as well! Why this won’t do at all. You should go to be-”

“Please. Just- don’t,” Husk cut Niffty off.

“I- I just don’t want to make this into some huge deal. It’s nothing, I’m fine, really.”

Niffty bit her lip as she thought, she didn’t like this situation- she never liked keeping secrets from others. Especially Alastor, who she saw as a friend. The few secrets she had been able to keep over the years were Alastor’s, whether that be out of loyalty or fear- Niffty didn’t know.

“Fine- I won’t tell a soul. But, if this happens again and you’re feeling sick, let me know.”

Husk chuckled, ”Yeah yeah- I’ll just ring you up.”

Niffty smiled, ”Great idea! Here’s my phone number!!”

Niffty jumped on top of the counter and using her sharp claws, quickly sketched in her phone number, not noticing the stares from Husk.

“You did not just carve into my bar.”

Niffty ignored Husk’s comment, ”There- now you have no excuse to not contact me when you need it!”

With that, Niffty left as quickly as she had come. Husk scoffed as he watched her leave, but that didn’t stop him from grabbing his phone and adding the new number into his contacts.

-

Angel was annoyed- no, he was pissed.

Angel already had a packed work schedule as it was, but Valentino had just added more to it. Insisting he could fit just a few more shoots and clients in his already overbooked schedule.

Despite Angel’s polite protests, something just wasn’t clicking for Valentino.

“Angelcakes, this next client is paying top dollar for your sweet little ass, you better be good for him. Then, afterward- You’ll have five minutes to freshen up and go on with your shoot. The premise of this film is that you’re going to be delivering pizza to three men. Sure, the story doesn’t make much sense- but people aren’t watching for the story, they’re watching to see you get railed by three dicks at once. Then I’ve also scheduled a photoshoot-”

“A photoshoot?” Angel’s voice cracked, those were always the worst. It was just hours of him sitting around and trying to stay in the same pose and keep the exact same face as some lazy guy fiddled around with a camera. Not to mention the camera guy always got too handsy for Angel’s liking…

“Problem?” Valentino asked as he shot a glare at Angel.

“Yes, there is- look, Vee, this is just- it’s too much for one day. I already have two other shoots planned, five other johns, and now a photoshoot?”

“Oh come on, how hard can it be for a slut like you?” 

Angel knew he should’ve bit his tongue, should’ve gone along with whatever Valentino wanted him to do. He knew this. 

Yet, rage began to boil up in his gut, and he couldn’t hold back the explosion that was about to occur.

“If it’s so easy why don’t ya do it fucker? Huh? How about ya try pleasing some uptight johns, trying to shove three fucking dicks in ya mouth at once and pretending that yer enjoying it- try ta stay still for hours on end while some perv has his hand down yer pants! Ya fucking try it asshole- oh wait, no- ya’d rather everyone else do the dirty work for ya, ya lazy pile of horse shit!”

Instantly, Angel realized his mistake as Valentino glared at him, his face morphing into pure rage. 

“Vee- I, I’m sorry- yer right I-”

Valentino cut him off as he plucked his hellphone from his desk and dialed a few numbers. ”Hey- Susie, clear my and Angel’s plans for the day. Make sure no one enters my office either. Angel and I need to work out some important business things.”

Angel’s face fell, he knew what this meant. 

An entire day.

Alone in Valentino’s office.

With no one allowed to come in.

Without a second thought, Angel hid under Valentino’s large wooden desk, as he tried to huddle into the corner, squeezing his legs up to his chest.

“Oh, Angelcakes~ you’re just going to make daddy madder if you make me come down there and get you. I’ll give you five seconds to come out here and make it up to daddy.”

Angel suddenly got an idea, as he quickly fumbled for his phone in his pocket.

“Five…”

Angel began to sweat nervously as he scrolled through his contacts.

“Four…”

A soft sigh of relief escaped his lips once he found Charlie’s.

“Three…”

Angel quickly typed up ‘peaches.’

“Two…”

Angel pressed sent, as he hid his phone away. 

“One. Time’s up Angie.”

-

“Look Al, I appreciate you trying to come up with ideas, but advertising the hotel on your um...shows, really doesn’t fit what we’r-”

Suddenly, Charlie’s phone buzzed. 

“One second,” Charlie fished the phone from her back pocket, and once she saw who it was from and what it said- her stomach dropped.

Alastor noticed the sudden change, a weird feeling began to build up in his gut. He could tell something was wrong.

“What is it darling?”

Charlie gulped, before looking up at Alastor.

“Angel’s in trouble.”

“What do you mean, he’s in trouble? Do you mean he relapsed, or- is breaking one of your rules? Is he in a turf war with that friend of his? Or-”

Charlie shook her head, ”No no, none of that it’s...It’s about Valentino.”

Alastor’s blood went cold. 

“Look, Angel and I came up with a safe word for when Valentino gets into one of his violent moods, and-”

“Violent moods? I thought that was...wasn’t that a one-time thing?”

Charlie stayed silent, but it was enough of an answer for Alastor.

Suddenly, everything seemed to click together.

The way Angel had gotten quieter over the past few weeks. The way he flinched at any sudden movement. That night he came back bruised and hurt. 

It hadn’t been a client. It had been Valentino.

“You- you knew Angel was still in danger? And you didn’t think to tell me? I- we had a deal! He told me if Valentino ever laid his filthy hands on him again, then he’d tell me so I could dispose of the issue! Who else knows? Why did everyone keep this away from me-”

“Don’t you get it?!” Charlie snapped.

“Despite everything Valentino has put Angel through- Angel somehow still loves him! Angel has to come to this conclusion on his own- and if you hadn’t gotten so angry that night he wouldn’t have hidden this from you! I wanted to tell you, believe me, I did- I wanted nothing more than to have you slaughter that sad excuse for an overlord, but what would that do except make Angel not trust me? He’d hate me- and he’d hate you too for trying to kill Valentino!”

“Do you really think you could just solve everything with a flick of your hand?! That you can just waltz into that studio and fix everything? Valentino owns Angel’s soul- do you really think Valentino wouldn’t use that as leverage? Wouldn’t threaten to erase him? I knew that if I told you- you wouldn’t think about that! You’d just do!”

“Angel needs to come to the conclusion that Valentino is an abusive asshole on his own because I won’t take away that choice from him. I won’t be like Valentino- and I hope you won’t either.”

“I…”

“Look, there’s no time for this. We need to come up with a plan…”

-

“I don’t see what the issue is, surely I could just go in there. I could easily best Valentino.”

“Yeah, but where would that get Angel? Valentino owns his soul, dumbass.”

“Vagatha dear, if you ever call me that ag-”

“Not helping, guys. Look, Vaggie’s right Alastor. We can’t just waltz in there. No, we need a way to get Valentino away from Angel, so that way we can get him out of there without Valentino even noticing…”

“If you two could simply get him away, I could sneak in utilizing my powers. No one would even notice I was there.”

“But what’s a good distraction? I don’t think we have anything Valentino would want…”

Charlie pondered over it for a moment. ”Wait...actually, we do! What does Valentino love to do?”

Vaggie and Alastor shared a glance with each other, neither knowing where Charlie was going with this.

Charlie signed. ”Taking advantage of people, guys. I thought that was obvious.”

“What are you proposing dear?”

“Surely Valentino couldn’t pass up the opportunity to trick someone into a deal...especially if he thought she was just a ‘naive little princess’.”

“I like where you’re going with this Charlotte.” 

-

Vaggie held Charlie’s hand in hers, she was nervous. Very nervous. 

_What if Valentino sees right through it?_

_What if he knows we’re just trying to distract him?_

Vaggie tried not to think about the million ways that this could go wrong because this couldn’t go wrong. It _had_ to work. 

Finally, Valentino made his appearance. Charlie held her phone under the table and quickly sent a text to Vaggie’s phone, which Alastor currently had possession of. 

“It really is a pleasure to see you princess and…” Valentino’s eyes lingered on Vaggie, ”Uh, the other one.”

“But, time is money, so let’s keep this short and to the point. What is it you desire from me?”

Charlie bit her lip as she tried to think of how to keep this going for as long as possible. She couldn’t let Valentino leave this room until she got a text from Alastor that Angel was safe and at the hotel.

“Well, I’ve been...going to multiple overlords to, um…” Charlie went quiet as she tried to think of what to say.

Vaggie piped up, ”We were wondering if you would like to sponsor the Happy Hotel.”

Charlie gave Vaggie a quick smile, thankful she had swooped in with a good lie.

Valentino looked up, intrigued. ”Why me? Isn’t that- what’s his name... Hmm…”

Valentino pretended to forget Alastor’s name as he exaggeratedly tapped his claw on his chin in a thinking position. ”That old virgin ass? Is his name Alex- no, that doesn’t seem right... Oh, wait! I got it- Alastor! Isn’t he sponsoring your little project?”

Vaggie rolled her eyes, she hated Alastor- but that was just overkill. Everyone knew who the infamous radio demon was.

Charlie suddenly realized they could use Valentino’s hate for Alastor to their advantage to buy them some more time. ”Yes, yes he is actually. But, well- you know he’s...well, not exactly in his prime…”

Charlie sent Vaggie a look, as Vaggie caught on to what Charlie was trying to do.

“Oh don’t be nice to that asshole- he’s washed up! Old news!” Vaggie played along, as she exclaimed.

“Oh Vags, don’t be so mean…” Charlie’s head snapped up to look at Valentino. ”But she’s right. Alastor just isn’t fit to sponsor the Happy Hotel. We need someone powerful…”

“Strong,” Vaggie chirped.

“And assertive. Someone like you,” Charlie finished.

Valentino’s smirk grew, to him- it seemed like the princess was desperate for a better sponsor- maybe he could rope the naive little bitch into a deal.

“I see what you’re getting at- and really, I’m flattered. But, I don’t just do anything for free...What exactly would I be getting in return?” Valentino rapped his knuckles against the wooden table.

“Well I’m so glad you asked, we could-” As Charlie prepared herself to launch into a long list of bogus deals, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She didn’t even have to look to know who it was from and what it said.

She needed to wrap this up and get the hell out of here.

“In return for your sponsor of the Happy Hotel, we’ll offer you our gratitude.”

“Gratitude? Is that all?” Valentino was dumbfounded- come on, not even Charlotte Magne could be this blind. Why would anyone take such a deal?

Charlie nodded, trying to keep the act going.

Valentino began to laugh as he doubled over in his chair and clutched his stomach.

As the laughs ceased he said in between gasps for air, ”That is- that’s just gold princess, but no. I’ll have to turn you down on this _riveting_ deal of yours. When you come up with a better offer, I’ll be waiting. But for now, I have whores I need to get back to.”

With that, Valentino got up from his seat and walked away.

“Well- that was embarrassing,” Vaggie sighed.

“Maybe, but it was totally worth it.”

-

While Charlie and Vaggie distracted Valentino with a fake proposition, Alastor let the cold darkness devour him whole. His skin tingled, as he walked through the shadows, looking for his destination. 

Soon, he was inside the top floor of the studio.

Alastor walked through the hallway, trying to go as fast as possible without making too much noise. As he peered around, trying to find Valentino’s office- he heard a soft whimpering come from one of the rooms.

Alastor’s heart dropped. He didn’t know what he expected to see when he opened the door. Deep down, he knew that Valentino had probably hurt Angel. He didn’t want to think that though, didn’t want to accept it. He wanted to think that he came just in time- that Angel was sitting down and would give him a friendly smile and wave as Alastor entered the room.

That, unsurprisingly, is not what greeted Alastor when he entered what he assumed to be Valentino’s office.

Angel was a heap on the floor, softly crying, in a pool of his own blood. Alastor could see the bruising that had already begun to form, and the deep cuts around his body.

Alastor had been _too late._

Alastor decided at that moment he would kill Valentino, even if it was the last thing he did. 

Alastor usually took comfort in the metallic smell of blood- he craved it even. But now, it only made him feel sick. 

Alastor wasted no time hurrying over to Angel’s side, not caring if he got blood on his clothes.

“Angel? Are you awake? _Mon ange_?” Alastor didn’t care that he had let the last part slip out- he was too consumed with worry.

Angel looked up from where he had had his head buried in his hands,”A-Al?”

Relief flooded through Alastor’s face, ”Yes, it’s me, dear. I’m going to get you out of here.”

“Ya- ya gotta go. I messed up. I messed up real bad this time Smiles.”

Angel began to quietly sob. ”Vee he- he’s upset with me. I said something I shouldn’t have. If ya don’t go- he’ll be upset at ya too.”

“Angel, I will never leave you. Ever.”

Angel looked up at Alastor with wide eyes. ”Ya- ya mean that?”

“With all my heart.”

That seemed to quiet Angel down a bit, as he took deep breaths to try and silence his cries.

“May I pick you up? I need to teleport us both to the hotel.”

Angel nodded weakly.

Alastor unbuttoned his red coat, and threw it on top of Angel, wrapping it around him like a blanket. He grabbed him bridal style, and with a flick of his hands, he teleported them both to Alastor’s room at the hotel.

Angel subconsciously nuzzled into Alastor’s chest, the warmth of his skin made him feel secure...safe, even.

“While I don’t have enough energy to completely heal all of your words since many of them seem to be quite...severe, I can do a few of the more painful ones. Then afterward we can finish the rest the old fashion way,” Alastor explained, really- he just wanted to keep his mind busy. He didn’t want to think about what had just happened- not yet. He didn’t want to do something he’d regret.

“Ya need my shirt and pants off- right?”

Alastor nodded, as he waited for one of Angel’s sexual jokes- none came. 

Angel slowly peeled off his ripped blazer and black shorts, the fabric clung to his fur uncomfortably because of the blood.

Alastor didn’t say another word as he went straight to work. The two stayed rather silent throughout the exchange, unlike last time. 

Suddenly, Angel broke the silence, ”I- I’m sorry, Al. I know I said that I would tell ya if Vee he- if he did something like this again I just...I didn’t want ya ta go after him.” 

“No, I should be the one apologizing Angel. I tried to force you into a decision, and I made you feel like I was judging you. You felt as if you couldn’t trust me with such information, which was my fault.” 

“While I don’t particularly...like it, I will respect whatever you decide. But, if one day you do decide to take my help- I will be here.”

“Just promise me you’ll be honest with me from now on.”

“I promise,” And Angel had meant it this time.

“You should wash up before I bandage the rest, I’ll get the bath started for you.”

“No- it’s fine. Ya’ve done enough, I’ll handle it from here.”

“Angel, it’s really no troubl-”

“No, it’s fine, really. I just- I want ta be alone right now.”

Alastor nodded. ”I understand. Please give me a shout if you need anything.”

Angel nodded, as he grabbed his clothes and walked towards his room.

As Angel walked away, Alastor fished Vaggie’s phone from his back pocket. The cursed thing is what had alerted him that Charlie had gotten Valentino out from his office, and now he was supposed to use it to let them know Angel was home safe.

After a bit of struggle, he sent a quick text and placed the device back on his dresser.

Alastor tried to concentrate on something else, yet every time he picked up a book- he found himself getting distracted. He wanted to check on Angel- make sure he was alright, yet he knew that’s not what Angel wanted.

Alastor knew he needed to be more considerate of Angel’s feelings- yet it was awfully hard for him. Especially since he never used to do anything for anyone but himself.

Then, he heard someone softly singing, and a small smile grew on his face, as all of his worries seemed to dissolve away.

-

Angel started the bath, and slowly got in. The hot water felt nice against his injured skin. 

Angel grabbed his strawberry shampoo and began to massage it into his fur. It stung a little on his still open cuts, but Angel didn’t mind.

Angel tried to busy himself with the task at hand- shampooing his fur, but now that he was alone in a silent room, his mind began to wander…

He bit back the sobs that threatened to come out- he didn’t want to alert Alastor. 

_Does Valentino even love you?_

Angel didn’t know anymore. He knew he loved Valentino- that much was very clear, but was it returned?

Sure Valentino said it, but did he mean it?

“ _Stitched you up, put you together with cotton and feather_ ,” Angel sang softly in between the muffled sobs. 

_“Gave you love- put my heart inside you. Oh, what could I do?”_

“ _When you started talking in your sleep, saying things you’d do to me_ ,” Angel rinsed the shampoo out, as well as the blood. The water turned a dark red.

 _“I didn’t care- I wasn’t scared,”_ Angel began to scrub his skin until it was raw- he felt dirty.

 _“Now I’m finding knives under the sheets,”_ He felt disgusted.

 _“Crumbled photographs of me,”_ He wanted to be clean- yet no matter how hard he scrubbed, he still felt dirty.

 _“I’m in despair,”_ suddenly, Angel’s skin broke from where he had been scrubbing. He stopped, as he watched a tiny drop of blood drip into the already red water. Something snapped inside of him.

Valentino did this to him. Valentino was the one who had hurt him- all because he made one snappish comment. He wanted to ask him- why? Why are you doing this to me? 

Angel didn’t control Valentino’s actions- Val did. Angel had no control over what he did. The thought that should’ve been comforting only seemed to terrify him.

_“Should I be scared?”_

Angel quickly conditioned his fur, not bothering to even look down while doing it- he didn’t want to, didn’t want to see what he was. Who he was.

He pulled the plug, as the water slowly began to drain. 

Angel carefully climbed out of the tub and wrapped a towel around himself. He grabbed his brush, as he began to work his way through some of the knots.

Angel’s eyes caught on the necklace, the one Valentino had gifted him that night. His face softened, he remembered how happy he felt when Valentino had presented it to him. The sheer giddiness he had felt. 

_“Teddy bear, you were my teddy bear.”_

Valentino had always seemed to just...get him. He was sweet, he said all the right things seemingly- he had made Angel feel so loved.

 _“You were comforting and quiet,”_ Angel grabbed the necklace from the hook on the wall, but his eyes suddenly caught on one of the bruises around his wrist as he had admired the gift.

_“How did love become so violent?”_

_“Oh, teddy bear, you were my teddy bear,”_ Angel ignored that thought, Valentino did love him. Why else would he give him that necklace?

Angel hooked the necklace around his neck, as he admired the gift.

_“Everything was so sweet,”_

Yet, despite Angel’s rejections of those hard to answer questions, they were still there. A seed of doubt had been planted- and it was starting to sprout. 

_“Until you tried to kill me.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> actually really like how this chap turned out, theres a lot of angst- but i promise things with Val and Angel do get better. Things just get really bad before it gets better in this fic, with all subplots. anyways, enough rambling.
> 
> this chapter was beta read by AndyThorn09 on Instagram- they've been a big help so make sure to check them out !!
> 
> songs used in this chap- Teddy Bear (Melanie Martinez)


	12. Ch 11. Does He Even Know What Love Is?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tw: mentions of past abuse, nothing graphic this time
> 
> Angel has a realization, Alastor attempts to strike a deal with Valentino, Husk is being a huge hypocrite, Niffty finally gets her musical number, Angel and Alastor have 'a moment TM', and Charlie jumps at the opportunity to do arts and crafts- while also getting rid of their bug problem...
> 
> In conclusion: Buckle up mother fuckers, this chapter is a wild ride.

Angel had quickly healed thanks to Alastor, well- physically anyway. Everyone seemed to have moved past what had happened, well, everyone except for Angel.

He couldn’t help but question everything that Valentino’s ever done to him. Valentino said it was out of love- but was it really? 

_“Vee, I’ve been thinking recently...well, I’ve been thinking about...us...”_

_“What do you mean?” Valentino looked up from the menu and cocked his head in confusion._

_“What are we? I mean- are we dating or are we just friends? It’s just- we never made it official, ya know?”_

_Valentino nodded, ”Well- if you want to put a label on it, I’m fine with that baby.”_

_He gently placed his hand on top of Angel’s thigh ,”So- if you’re asking if you can be my bitch, then the answer is yes Angelcakes. You can be my bitch until the end of time.”_

At the time Angel had swooned at those words, but now- all it made him feel was a pit in his stomach.

Did Valentino really love Angel- or did he just have a sick desire to possess him? To own him even?

_“You can be my bitch until the end of time.”_

Angel shuddered, no- no, that was just his silly intrusive thoughts. He shouldn’t jump to conclusions- he’ll just ask Valentino. Valentino would calm his worries, he always did.

Valentino counted a thick stack of bills, one arm around Angel’s waist as Angel was nuzzled into the crook of his neck, Angel asked, ”Val- why’d ya hurt me?”

Valentino’s eyes never wavered from the stack of cash in hand. ”I’m sorry baby- but you know I do it cause I love you. It’s tough love, Angelcakes.”

Valentino could tell Angel still wasn’t convinced, he sighed as he set the wad of cash down onto the side table. 

“Angie, baby, you know how terrible it is out there. Without me, without _my_ protection, you’d be erased by now.”

“But, Charlie-”

“Is using you, baby. For her stupid little project. You’re nothing but an experiment to her- a rat.”

“But-”

“Shhh, no buts. Everything I do is out of love.”

Valentino went back to counting his bills.

With that- the conversation was ended, without Angel’s consent. It was over because Valentino said it was...why did he get to do that? 

_”I’m sorry baby, but you left me with no choice. You have nobody to blame but yourself.”_

_“Angie, I’m really sorry if you felt as if I was purposely trying to hurt you...You know I would never do that, right?”_

If Angel just had **felt** as if Valentino had purposely hurt him. He didn’t apologize for actually hurting Angel- he apologized that Angel had gotten upset over it.

_“I just lost my temper, you know I have a short temper doll face. You shouldn’t have pushed me.”_

Every time Valentino had apologized, it was never a real apology. Just excuses.

He apologized for the same mistakes- and then did it again. It was the same cycle over and over.

Angel always assured himself that Valentino just made a few mistakes- but he always apologized afterward. At least...that’s what Angel told himself. 

As Angel slowly began to come to this realization, his breath began to quicken and he felt like he was going to vomit. 

“Are you okay baby? You’re acting a bit crazy right now.”

Angel didn’t answer, all he could do was think about every hit, every nasty word thrown in his face- all the broken bones… How had he been convinced for so long that this was love? Did he even know what love was?

“I think you need your prescription filled,” Valentino cackled as if he had just said the funniest joke in the history of everything.

Valentino slipped a bag of dust in Angel’s pockets, it felt much heavier than it actually was as it weighed Angel down.

The relapse.

Angel had thrown away all his progress because Valentino had convinced him to for his own gain. He had fallen for such blatant lies because they had sounded so pretty coming from Valentino.

“Just a little present for my star.”

Valentino pulled Angel closer, and all Angel could do was fight to try and hold back the bile that was beginning to rise up in his throat, as he was left with only one thought.

_Valentino never loved you._

-

Alastor took a sip of whisky, while Husk grinned at something on his phone.

“What’s on your phone that’s put you in such a good mood Husker?” Alastor asked, he had never seen Husk look so...happy before. It was a pleasant and welcome change. 

Husk looked up from his phone,”Did you know that Niffty draws?”

“Well, I have seen her furiously scribbling in a notebook from time to time…”

“She’s actually really fucking good- sometimes she draws random shit, sometimes she draws us- she even makes comics of us too. She calls it fanart or something,” Husk rambled on.

Husk showed his phone to Alastor. ”Look at this drawing she just finished.”

Alastor adjusted his monocle, as he squinted at the bright screen.

It was actually a very good drawing, Niffty was obviously very talented. Although- what surprised Alastor about the art, was that it was of Husk sleeping peacefully. The drawing was very realistic, meaning that Niffty must’ve used a reference…

“I didn’t know you and Niffty had gotten so close,” Alastor prompted.

Husk looked up at Alastor, eyebrow raised, ”We haven’t- just...just been talking, that’s all.” 

Alastor nodded, ”It’s nothing bad Husker- why, I think it’s quite good that you’ve allowed yourself to become closer to someone in...that sense. You deserve it.”

“Oh ho ho, no- it’s...it’s nothing like that.”

“Who’s in denial now?” Alastor asked with a sly smirk.

-

Angel returned home, a solemn look on his face. Alastor quickly looked him over to make sure he was okay- which, he seemed to be. Alastor let out a sigh of relief he didn’t know he had been holding and made his way towards the table with a bowl in hand.

“Good afternoon Angel- I know you mentioned something about a low-calorie diet, so I thought a salad would be a good opt-”

Alastor suddenly noticed a few tears had begun to stream down Angel’s face. His expression quickly turned to one of concern.

“Angel? Are you hurt?”

“Al can I- can I hug ya?” Angel sniffled.

Alastor nodded, he knew Angel needed comfort right now.

Angel didn’t waste a second burying his head into Alastor’s shoulder, as he began to sob. 

Alastor realized at that moment, that Angel’s sobbing was the worst sound ever. He sounded so broken, so defeated. 

Alastor gently began to rub Angel’s back comfortingly, as he whispered. ”It’ll be alright my dear, I promise. Everything will be alright.”

“He- he never loved me, Al,” Angel sobbed, his voice muffled. 

“His mistake darling.”

“I...I want out.”

Those were the only words Alastor needed to hear. Angel will have his revenge, now that Alastor had the go-ahead, but that would be for later. Now, Alastor needed to calm him down. 

-

“Would you like to talk about it, dear?” Alastor asked soothingly, as he handed Angel a steaming cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows on top. 

Angel took a sip, as he sniffled. ”I...I don’t know where ta even start.”

“Start wherever you wish, and whatever makes you most comfortable.” 

“Well, I guess...I guess it all started when he took me in when I first landed in Hell...He was charming, sweet, offered that I could have everything I wanted. The best clothes, money, the men- everything that I felt I was denied in life, I could have down here...I thought it was a second chance.”

“Until,” Angel gulped, ”He got violent. I started ta grow distant, then I met Charlie...I, well, I didn’t believe in redemption, I still don’t know if I do- but I just...I thought it was a good way ta get away from Val…”

“I guess he must’ve sensed I was growing distant, cause he, well...Then he asked me out, then he began ta shower me with gifts, he offered ta take me ta the ball...I don’t know how I didn’t see he was just tryna buy my love…But then I fell for him all over again.”

“And then he started ta be violent…”

“Like at the ball?” Alastor finished.

Angel nodded. ”Yeah, like at the ball. But- it was too late. I had fallen for him, I was seeing the world through rose-colored glasses. I didn’t notice any of the red flags. I convinced myself that all the times he hit me, the times he yelled and berated me- every awful thing he’d ever did, I told myself it was out of love.”

Angel chuckled sadly, ”How silly and stupid is that? I- I was so stupid that I couldn’t clearly fucking see that he was hurting me.”

Alastor shook his head. ”No, no Angel dear, you’re not silly or stupid. You trusted him, and he betrayed that trust. You loved him, and he took it for granted. He messed up, not you.” 

Angel stayed silent, so Alastor continued, ”Angel, earlier you said you wanted out- did you mean that? Do you want out of the soul contract?”

“I- I don’t want ya ta get hurt over me, Al…I know yer an almighty overlord and all- but ya can’t just go in there, guns blazin’ and shit. You’ll die.”

“I promise it won’t come to that, I’ll simply offer him a deal.”

“Ya promise ya won’t get hurt over me?”

Alastor nodded. ”I promise.”

Yet a part of Alastor knew that if it came to that, he’d do it in a heartbeat if it could guarantee Angel’s safety.

-

Niffty, for once in her life- found herself unable to focus on the task at hand. Every time she tried to busy herself, she found herself peering back down at her phone. 

Nothing. Just like the last twenty times she had checked. 

Niffty tried to come up with a logical reason for this- but she always came up with nothing. Why would Husk just stop suddenly responding to her messages? Things had seemed to be going so well between the two…

Now, it seemed as if Husk was just...well, a ghost really. He was there- Niffty knew he was, but it seemed like she couldn’t prove it.

Niffty sighed, as she turned towards the laundry. Ever since the ball, the hotel had gained a few more guests. Nothing to write home about, but a success nonetheless. But, this just meant Niffty had piles of more laundry to do…

 _“Read my lips but don’t you dare reply,”_ Niffty tried not to think about her phone just inches away- as she began to throw the laundry in the washer. It was a bit big for Niffty- but she made it work with the step stool she had nearby. 

Niffty looked down at the dinosaur pajamas she had grabbed from the basket, she tried to think of who would own something like this, but her mind kept wandering back to where she had begun. _”Cause I am just a dinosaur- alive inside a screen.”_

Niffty finished shoving all the clothes into the washer and started it. 

Nifty scurried away towards the kitchen, her phone in her pocket. She climbed up her step stool to reach the sink, and turned on the tap, and squirted in some soap. 

She grabbed the nearest dirty plate, and began to scrub hard and quickly. _”Ring me out, and hang me out to dry.”_

Once Niffty was satisfied, she placed the plate on the drying rack. _”I don’t believe in dinosaurs.”_

Nifty looked around the room, and towards the direction of the currently empty bar…a cold chill ran down her spine.

_“But I know ghosts are real.”_

Niffty reached for another plate, and continued to scrub, as her mind began to quicken- so did her hands.

 _“There’s a ghost. In my home, but it’s better than being alone,”_ Niffty suddenly felt a buzzing in her pocket, dropping everything she was doing, she immediately fished out her phone.

But, it was just a notification from her Instagram account- not what she wanted.

_“Reading read recipients with no replying.”_

Niffty looked down at the plate she had dropped, it had shattered onto the floor. Niffty sighed, as she hurriedly grabbed her tiny broom that she had set down in the corner of the room.

Niffty began to sweep up all the pieces into the dustpan, although she gripped the broom so tight her knuckles were white _. ”Yes my house is haunted.”_

_“That’s just what I wanted, reading read recipients with no replying.”_

-

“What can I do for you today, Alastor?”

“I’m here to offer you a deal.”

Valentino scoffed, ”Let’s cut to the chase first- what are you offering?”

“You haven’t even heard what I want.”

“We’ll handle that later, I don’t want to waste my time unless you’re offering something useful.” 

“Very well then, my offer? Half of all of my territory in the gluttony district.”

Valentino’s eyes went wide. ”Half? You got to be shitting me. What you’re asking for must be really important to you, huh?”

 _You have no idea,_ Alastor thought.

“Is that a good enough offer for you?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely. What is it that your dark little heart desires that it’s worth half of your territory? Do you want some sorta peace treaty? My help in a certain battle? What is it? I’m on the edge of my seat.”

“Angel Dust’s contract.” 

Everything went silent, as the two overlords just stared at each other.

“You wish to trade half of your territory for one whore’s contract?”

Alastor bristled at the word ‘whore.’

“Did I stutter?”

Valentino began to laugh, while Alastor just sat.

Once the laughing subsided he said. ”Sorry Alastor, but no dice.”

“What is it that you would like in exchange for Angel’s contract? Sixty percent of my territory? Seventy-five?”

“One hundred percent.” 

“...You can’t be serious Valentino.”

“I want it all- I want that stupid ass radio tower, I want every single thing you own. I want you to step down as an overlord, to finally retire like the old relic you are. That, or no deal.”

“...Fine. You have yourself a deal.”

Valentino just stood in shock, before erupting into more laughter. ”I- I was just joking with your virgin ass! Is my Angel really worth that much to you that you’d _step down?_ What’d he do to make you act so foolish? Take your virginity?”

“Do we have a deal or not?!” Alastor snapped, getting tired of this teasing.

“Hmmm, no. No, we don’t. Nothing you could offer would be enough for my Angie. Sure, he can be a handful sometimes- but he sure is fun to play with,” a smirk grew on Valentino’s face, as Alastor’s blood began to boil.

“I won’t be taking no for an answer, Valentino. You can either give up Angel’s contract to me willingly and I will step down as an overlord- or, I will simply take what I want. I think you know which way I prefer, but I’ve always been a fair man. I’ll give you an option.”

“Oh ho ho- that isn’t how this works.”

Valentino snapped his fingers, Angel’s contract manifested itself into his other hand.

“I hold Angel’s life in my hand, literally and figuratively. Now, Alastor- you won’t harm me in any way, or I will erase this whore.”

“You wouldn’t,” Alastor snarled. 

Valentino held the contract sideways, and placed both of his hands on the sides, in a ripping position.

“Try me.”

Alastor didn’t want to, didn’t want to test Valentino. He had no idea whether Valentino would risk his ‘cash cow’ just to prove a point. 

But, just the determined look in Valentino’s eyes was enough of an answer.

Valentino must’ve sensed this as Alastor slumped, the confidence leaking out of his body like a balloon.

Valentino placed the contract down onto his desk. ”I am a bit curious though- why? What makes my Angie so important to someone like you?”

Alastor stayed silent.

“Is it- perhaps, that you’ve gone soft? Do you care for my Angie?”

“I think we’re done here,” Alastor growled.

He had already revealed too much.

If anyone around Hell caught wind of Alastor’s feelings- it would put everyone in great danger.

The worst possible thing you could do in Hell is letting everyone else know you have a weakness.

-

Alastor walked into the hotel, his shoulders dipped and his smile strained. 

Angel looked up from the bar, his once hopeful smile slipped once he took note of Alastor’s posture and facial expressions. 

“I guess it didn’t go well, huh?” Angel asked, he tried to make it sound like a joke, but both demons could tell there was sorrow underneath. 

“Valentino wasn’t very...cooperative. So, no deals were made.”

Angel shrugged, ”Figures...Well, uh- thanks for trying Smiles. I appreciate it.”

“This isn’t over dear, I’m sure we’ll figure out something to get your soul.”

Angel shook his head. ”No- it’s...it’s...hopeless...Maybe the only way ta get away from Val is ta….”

Angel trailed off, but Alastor could guess what he had meant.

Alastor took a few steps towards Angel, and gently lifted his chin to face him, ”Don’t say that darling, I...Well, to be quite frank, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Angel’s face flushed, the words were so...so intimate. So caring.

The two demons slowly began to inch closer, as Angel’s breath got caught in his throat. 

Angel's chest began to flutter in a way that he had rarely felt, almost as if he was a middle schooler again watching football practice from the side lines. Angel so badly wanted to close the gap between them- but should he? It would...certainly complicate things between the two. Angel didn't want to lose his friendship with Alastor, over something as simple as stupid desires. It's not like Angel even liked him like that- after all, it was obvious that Angel couldn't even navigate his own feelings properly! That's how he got roped in with Valentino in the first place! 

Plus...

_I guess it all started when he took me in when I first landed in Hell...He was charming, sweet, offered that I could have everything I wanted._

Angel stopped and pulled back. Deep down, he knew that Alastor was nothing like Valentino. But he couldn’t help the fear and worry that he had...He didn’t want to make the same mistake he had made with Valentino. 

“What should I do then? About Val?” Angel asked, hoping they could just move past what had just happened. Or almost happened.

Alastor gulped, glad that they could move past his little lapse of judgment. 

“I believe we should enlist the help of others, two heads are better than one, after all.”

-

“Okay, okay- so we need to somehow get Valentino to willingly give us Angel’s contract, without him erasing Angel’s soul- right?” Vaggie asked.

Angel nodded, ”Yeah- basically.”

A part of him felt guilty for getting everyone involved- this was his fault, his mistake trusting and falling for Valentino. But, he knew he couldn’t do this alone.

Cherri looked over at Alastor, ”What’d you offer the fucker? Maybe you just didn’t offer the right thing.”

“I offered one hundred percent of my territory, I doubt any of you could offer something better.”

Angel’s eyes widened, he didn’t know Alastor was willing to step down as an overlord just for him. He felt guilty for putting Alastor in that position, but also grateful all at the same time. 

“Okay- well a fair deal is off the table then,” Vaggie interrupted Angel’s thoughts. ”That means we need to force him to give us Angel’s contract.”

“Finally- some fucking fun! This should be easy, I’ll just make a hundred bombs or so-”

Charlie shook her head. ”No, no, no. That won’t work Cherri. If he thinks Angel’s soul isn’t worth the effort, he’ll…”

The room went silent, everyone knew what Valentino could do to Angel if he pleased.

Niffty raised her hand, and began jumping up and down excitedly in her chair. ”Ooh! Ooh! I got an idea!!”

“What is it darling?”

“What if we blackmail Mr. Valentino? If we threaten that we’ll spill about his little secret if he doesn’t give us Angel’s contract- then he’ll feel like he has to! And if he erases Mr. Angel- we’ll just tell everyone his secret!”

“I don’t know if we should just risk Angel’s soul for some blackmail that we don’t even possess yet. I think we should come up with a safer plan.”

Angel shook his head, ”No- this could work. It’s our best shot, there’s no other way.”

Alastor looked over at Angel, ”Darling- what if he doesn’t comply? What if he-”

“There’s no time Al, I get that yer worried- but it’s our best chance. I..I can’t keep being at his beck and call all the time.”

 _I’d rather be erased than have to deal with him_ , was left unsaid, but everyone somehow knew that was what Angel was thinking.

Before Alastor could further protest, Husk piped up. ”How the hell are we gonna even find blackmail material?”

Charlie excitedly pulled out pieces of paper, glitter, and markers, as she squealed. ”It’s planning time!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone! I have decided that the next chapter will be another character QNA, since a lot of you seemed to enjoy the last one. (Although one person did say that it was 'a change of tone (which was sorta the point but okay lmao) and a cringy self insert' whichhhh brings me to the next question...
> 
> Would you guys like my lil 'author' self to be in the next one? I had put myself in there mostly to explain this little world and it's rules (while also having a chance to answer any questions you have for me), but if you guys don't like it I could just have the characters. Let me know down below!!
> 
> Anyways, if I decide to stick myself in for- here are the characters you can ask questions! (pay attention to this next part, I changed it up a bit)
> 
> -Alastor, Charlie, Valentino, me (if I keep myself in), and Vox (this is totally NOT an excuse to exercise writing Val and Vox, since they'll both be having a big part in the next chapter...noooo, I would never do such a cheap trick)
> 
> Anyways, leave your questions below!!
> 
> song used in this chap- Ghost (nelward) (I feel like Nelward really fits how I picture Niffty's mind to work...probably will be using his songs for most of Nif's music numbers)


	13. ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS #2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vox and Valentino crash the party, causing a bit of chaos with Alastor and Angel, Niffty ponders renaming these little 'QNA' sections to 'Nif-swers', Husk is awkward and done, and Charlie just wants to show off her lil' puppies- goddammit!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really sorry for slow updates- I'm going to try and get the last few remaining chapters out soon. 
> 
> Also- YES we are nearing the end of book one!! Don't worry, there will be more, I have so much planned for this universe, which honestly goes way beyond what I've already established in this book...Like, a lot of this was just me hinting at future plotlines, if that makes sense.
> 
> And while this mostly revolved around radiodust, as well as Angel and Alastor's development- the other books will revolve around multiple ships/characters. (Ofc Angel and Alastor will always be the 'main characters' and still will be heavily in every book I've planned.)
> 
> Ok, sorry, I've rambled enough already-

“Welcome back fuckers.”

Alastor rubbed his pounding head, blinking a few times as his eyes adjusted to the new surroundings.

Suddenly- everything came back to him, as he immediately recognized that _damn_ couch and the endless room of white nothingness. 

Alastor looked over, and saw Charlie, Niffty, Husk, Angel, and-

Alastor had to hold back a snarl at the sight of Valentino and Vox, who looked very confused.

Niffty decided to finally break the silence,”What are they doing here? Also- where’s Miss Vaggie?”

Niffty gasped as she slapped her hands on her cheeks in shock,”Is she dead?!”

**”Dead?!”** Charlie echoed.

“Calm down you guys- no one’s dead. She just didn’t get any questions this time around,” the author assured.

The hazbin group all visibly relaxed at the news.

“Excuse me- if I may,” Vox interrupted,”But what the fuck?!”

“I second that,” Valentino agreed.

The author looked at the two characters,”Ahhhh right, I didn’t fill you guys in about this whole universe- huh?”

The author filled the two in on the rules of this world, but didn’t dare write any of the actual conversation- since they knew it would be boring for the audience to have to re-read such information.

“This shit makes no goddamn sense-”

“Shhh,” Vox interjected,”It makes perfect sense.”

Everyone could tell Vox was deep in thought as he considered everything he had just been told,”I mean- I’ve theorised about multiple universes before- but never to this extent. Just think, there are hundreds- _millions_ of versions of us just existing right now...All thinking that we’re the only ones- our own egos and pride have limited our true potential! Don’t you all see? Our lives are nothing more than a day dream! A lie-”

Angel faked coughed as he mumbled loudly,”Fucking nerd!”

Vox glared at Angel, while the author tried to keep the peace,”While I’m sure your theories are...riveting Vox- the readers aren’t here to analyze your existence to such an extent.”

“Then what are so called ‘readers’ here for if not for thought provoking commentary on literature made by fans?” Vox asked.

The author shrugged,”I don’t know- I guess for the ships? I mean, I doubt anyone here clicked on this fanfiction wanting to read some TV head go on about their multiverse theories concerning hazbin hotel fanfiction.”

Vox slumped in his spot, crossing his arms against his chest and pouted like a toddler, while Valentino rubbed his shoulder comfortingly.

“Sorry baby, you’re too good for these ‘readers’ anyways,” Valentino cooed softly.

The author cleared her throat, hoping that they could get this thing moving along,”Ok- first question is for Angel from Potatoperson24.”

Angel noticeably perked, glad to be receiving some attention. Angel did feel some sort of pride and ego boost that some random ‘readers’ out there actually cared enough to ask him something.

“How is fat nuggets doing?”

Angel practically jumped at the opportunity to talk about his beloved pet,”He’s doing great- just taught him how ta roll over. Did ya know that pigs are actually really fucking smart? I’m not sure if Fat Nugs is like Albert Einstein or something- but he’s definitely smarter than _some_ demons I know.”

Everyone shot a look at Valentino, even Vox.

“Hey! What the fuck did I do?!” Valentino snapped defensively.

Angel looked over at the author,”Whatever I say here- Val won’t remember, right?”

The author nodded in confirmation, a bit curious to see where this was about to go.

“Well in that case…” Angel stood up from his spot.

“You’re literally the dumbest fucking thing I’ve ever met- I’ve seen you struggle to count THREE bills before! THREE! You were so goddamn concentrated and focused too- like how much brain power did counting THREE bills take you?! You looked stoned you dumbass fucking brain less piece of shit!” Angel shouted, letting out all of the anger that he’d bottled up.

Valentino wasted no time in responding,”Angel cakes what the HELL is this about?! Don’t forget who owns your as-”

“Not for long,” Alastor added nonchalantly, as he sipped a cup of tea. The author raised a brow- where did he get _that_ from?

“What’s that supposed to mean grandpa?? You got something to add over there Mr ‘I don’t shower and stink like dog shit’?” Valentino fired back at Alastor, while Vox snickered softly.

“My bathing patterns are none of your business-”

“I can smell your dirty ass AND piss teeth all the way from HERE! So before you try and get up into MY business with MY Angie, you better-”

“Hey! Mr. Alastor’s sensitive about that stuff! Trust me, once I tried to clean him and-” 

“I don’t belong to ya suga! I’m done with letting ya walk all over me-”

“Excuse me, are we talking about a feral dog or an actual person here? Because frankly, Angel doesn’t belong to anyo-”

The author sighed, why did she think putting these lot in the same room was a good idea?

“If y’all don’t shut up in the next five seconds I will literally POOF you out of existence!” The author yelled, which got everyone to quiet down almost instantly.

“Oh you wouldn’t dare,” Alastor challenged.

“Have you ever heard of Hannah?”

Everyone exchanged confused looks with one another.

“Uh...no,” Angel answered finally.

“Exactly.”

The room went silent at the author’s bluff and fib,”This one is for Husk, from Leah. Which moment with Niffty have you enjoyed the most?”

Husk, who had sat back and watched the chaos unfold, finally spoke as he scratched the back of his neck nervously,”Uh...well, Leah, that’s uh- tough question...well..”

Niffty stiffened in her seat, as she averted her eyes to the floor.

Husk gulped, deciding to follow his rule of thumb- what he doesn’t remember doing won’t kill him.

“I think it’s really cute when she asks me to help her clean up the hard-to-reach spots. You know, cause she’s like- the height of a stack of pancakes. I...I don’t use these fuckers,” Husk slightly flexed his wings just a bit,”But...I guess it’s nice to...sometimes.”

Husk suddenly realized everyone in the room was staring, as he shrunk under their gaze.

“But, um,” Husk grumbled,”That’s it…”

The author decided to let Husk off easy- this time, and continue on to the next question,”Alright- this one is for me from Potatoperson24...what’s your favorite movie?”

“Personally, I don’t really have a favorite. I like a lot of movies for a bunch of different reasons. But- right now, I think my favorite movie is probably Megamind. But I also really enjoy pretty much any Disney animated movie as well. Just animated movies in general, I guess?” The author explained, having a bit of a hard time settling on just one movie.

“Ok, the next two questions come from zadr_bee to Niffty. Do you prefer organizing by color or alphabetical order? Also what are your favorite bugs to eat?”

Niffty was practically bouncing out of her seat, like an over caffeinated toddler,”Ok, ok- first question. Definitely color. I mean- if I did it alphabetical, I’d have to name EVERY shirt! And I’m not that creative with names either! Plus, it just looks better, and people tend to appreciate color more. Think about it- if I organized it alphabetically, no one would really be able to tell at first glance, so all my hard work would go unnoticed by the world! Like Da Vinci or something- no one liked any of his art until after he was dead! That’s so sad- I don’t want to be the next Da Vinci!”

Everyone looked at Niffty, Angel finally broke the awkward silence,”...You got gills or something over there? Cause I swear I didn’t see ya breathe once!”

Niffty shook her head,”No- no gills. Ok, second question...um...what was the second question again?”

“What are your favorite bugs to eat?” The author repeated, amused with Niffty’s ramblings.

“Oh right- I remember now. Hm, well- that’s a hard one I think. Every bug has its own perks and styles! But, if I had to choose...It’d be between spiders and moths! First off, spiders are fun to play around with. I know- I know, _‘don’t play with your food’_ but Alastor gets to do it, so why can’t I? I mean, it’s so fun to rip off their tiny little legs one by one, and watch them suffer and crawl around in misery before I give them just a bit of mercy- and eat them! With moths though- it’s more so because I hate them! They’re ALWAYS eating my clothes! How rude! No other bug ruins your CLOTHES! Like, it’s just moths!”

Angel and Valentino were giving Niffty a horrified look, neither expecting such words from such a tiny and cute looking demon...Especially when it was targeted at _them._ Angel held his arms against his chest, almost protectively. 

“So yeah, those are my Niffty answers! Oo- oo! Nif-swers? An-ffty? I think I like the first one more…” Niffty trailed off, as she tapped her chin thoughtfully with a sharp pointed claw.

“This next question is for Charlie, from sofi...Do you prefer puppies or kittens?” 

“Puppies!” Charlie exclaimed, then recoiled a bit in embarrassment for answering so quickly and loudly, as all eyes landed on her.

Charlie let out a nervous chuckle as she lowered her voice,”I mean, uh...puppies. I actually have a puppy at home! Well- they’re not really puppies anymore...but they’ll always be my little babies! Who wants to see a picture?!”

Before anyone could object, Charlie pulled out her wallet- and showed everyone the photo she had framed inside.

A massive red three headed dog took up the entire thing, twice the size of Charlie who stood by it in comparison. All three heads stared at the camera with wide eyes- which was only a completely black pupil, their long snake-like tongues reaching just a little under their jaws.

As everyone crowded over Charlie’s shoulders to get a peek out of curiosity, Alastor flinched away.

“Never bring that- _monster_ around the hotel, or I will destroy said hotel,” Alastor hissed, his brows furrowed.

Charlie gasped,”Don’t insult them like that- I’ll have you know they’re the sweetest, gentlest, kindest dogs I’ve ever met!”

“It’s big enough to EAT you wh-”

“Ok!” The author shouted loudly,”The last question is actually for you, Alastor. Dude1nblue asked, When you get Angel's contract... what will you do to Valentino? But if you don't want to answer that to avoid spoiling the fun... what will you do to Angel?”

“Get Angel’s contract- what the fuck is this ‘dude one N blue’ talkin’ about?!” Valentino yelled, glaring angrily at Alastor.

“Oh shut it- that’s why this kind reader didn’t leave scum like you any questions! Show a bit of class,” Alastor sneered,”Besides- not like you’ll remember this anyways.”

“Wait-” Husk piped up,”Didn’t you say Vaggie wasn’t here cause no one asked her anything? Ok, well then how come those two fuckheads are here? They didn’t get anything.”

Husk gestured towards Vox and Valentino, who looked offended and almost disgusted even, their arms crossed over their chests.

The author shrugged,”Honestly I just wanted to write them interacting with you all in a non-angsty situation.”

“...So you shoved them in here with the rest of us simply for your own selfish entertainment purposes, which does nothing to benefit or even makes sense to the actual paper thin ‘story’ you’ve concocted?” Alastor asked in disbelief.

“Well...yeah,” the author answered.

Alastor went silent for a few moments, his face set in a firm line, until he burst into a fit of genuine laughter. Everyone looked at him as if he were crazy- and perhaps he was…

Once Alastor’s laughter died down, he spoke,”My, my- the pure self indulgence of this all...I am somewhat impressed, yet...next time don’t involve me in such ploys. I promise you I won’t be as _joyful_ at the news the next time.”

The author nodded awkwardly,”Uh...ok? Well are you gonna answer the question or what?”

“Oh yes- sorry dear reader for delay. As for your question, I would rather answer it without the others here- and as this is the last question surely the author can complete my request,” Alastor side eyed the author, who decided to go along with it- not really wanting to test Alastor’s patience even more.

“Wait a second-” before Angel could finish, he was cut off, as literally everyone except for Alastor disappeared into thin air.

Alastor cleared his throat,”Much better. Now- as for what I will do to Valentino,” Alastor’s grin widened maniacally,”I will have to say, all will happen in due time. Getting the contract is one thing- but revenge? Whole other ballpark. Of course, it will happen, but it wouldn’t be very fair for me to do it before our dear Angel is ready...I would want him to be a part of the fun if he so chooses.”

“I imagine a broadcast would be quite fun- perhaps ripping off his slimy little limbs one by one? I picked that trick up from our darling Niffty, of course...I suppose that all depends on what Angel requests and when. Now- for what I will do to Angel…” Alastor seemed to be deep in thought, as he pondered in silence.

The author didn’t rush, instead deciding to give Alastor his time.

“Well, if he will have me, certainly without Valentino there to interrupt- Angel and I could go on an outing. As good friends do together,” Alastor seemed to say the last sentence more to himself than to the author.

The author decided to test the limits just a little,”...So, like a date?”

“What? No! No- not like..that! Just because I want to take him somewhere nice and I like to see him get excited and smile about things, and I want to get lost in his eyes as he tells some elaborate story with so much passion and depth- doesn’t mean I want to take him on a date! It’s just...a friendly outing!”

The author nodded,”Yeah...sureeee.”

Before Alastor could say anything else, he swiftly disappeared. 

“Well- he’ll get it one day y’all. Thanks so much for the questions _and_ for reading this story, I started it with little experience writing Hazbin Hotel- so it was a bit rocky, I will admit, but I hope with practice that I’ve at least gotten...a bit better. Also, sorry for the very slow updates...I’ve actually been trying to pre-write all of the remaining chapters beforehand, as we’re nearing the end of the first book, so that way I can start getting them out a bit faster instead of just doing one at a time. Ok, I’m rambling- thanks so much for all your support!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *banging pots and pans* ALASTOR CANONICALLY DOESNT SHOWER THIS IS THE FUNNIEST THING I'VE EVER READ. I CAN'T BELIEVE THE GUY THAT LITERALLY EVERYONE THIRSTS OVER ACTUALLY SMELLS LIKE SHIT ADN HAS PISS TEETH
> 
> -a psa from 'why do we thirst over this toothpick, smelly, dumb ass deer' support group
> 
> also, yes I headcanon Vox as just being a big ol' nerd, you cannot stop me.
> 
> And Valentino is just his smart nerdy bf's dumbass lover, who literally buffers every time he has to count more than two things.


End file.
